Pokémon Journey: Livvi's Johto Scrapbook
by Talarc
Summary: For Livvi Weston, her goal of surpassing her older sister has led her to part ways with her old friends and set off to the Johto region by herself. But the path to success doesn't always have to be walked alone. Livvi is joined by Alicia Law, a rookie trainer with a mysterious past, who places herself in her care as they both aim to earn gym badges to compete in the Johto League.
1. Pursuit

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.**

 **Hello and welcome to the first chapter of** _ **Pokémon Journey: Livvi's Johto Scrapbook**_ **!**

 **This side-story in the** _ **Pokémon Journey**_ **series follows Livvi Weston's adventures as she travels to the Johto region. This isn't, however, what I would consider a 'full story' – as the name suggests, this story will cover the major events to come and will skip over some parts of the journey if there are no captures, evolutions, gym battles etc.**

 **If this is the first** _ **Pokémon Journey**_ **story you've come across, I suggest reading this in tandem with** _ **Pokémon Journey: Hoenn**_ **, though you'd also benefit from having read** _ **Pokémon Journey: Kanto**_ **and** _ **Pokémon Journey: Sevii Islands**_ **as well.**

 **Anyway, on with the show, I guess!**

 **Upload Date: 20** **th** **February 2017**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Pursuit**

 _New Bark Town, Johto_

 _2:39pm, 25_ _th_ _March 2006_

"Excuse me, Miss?" the receptionist called to the only occupant of the trainer lounge in the New Bark Town pokémon centre. "There's a call for you."

"Thanks." The girl, around thirteen years old, jumped up from one of the sofas and walked back over towards the lobby. Her squirtle followed after her.

The receptionist shuddered slightly as a cold draught blew in, but the girl didn't seem affected in the slightest, despite her rather brave choice to wear a navy-blue tank top and a black, plaited skirt. There wasn't even a trace of discomfort in her mischievous brown eyes. Her long, chestnut hair flowed out behind her as she walked.

"I'll put you through to this console here." The receptionist gestured to one of the videophones on the left-hand side of the lobby before heading back towards the desk.

The girl thanked him again and walked over to the videophone. There was a short delay as the receptionist transferred the call.

"Hello?" A woman in her late thirties appeared on the screen. "Tessa?"

"I'm here, Mum!" Tessa Weston replied cheerfully. "I was planning on calling you later to tell you I reached Johto anyway."

Tessa's squirtle, Lallo, jumped up onto her shoulder and waved merrily to Tessa's mother, Holly.

"Glad to see you're doing okay as well, Lallo!" Holly smiled at him. "Please continue taking care of Tessa for me!"

"So, what did you call me for?" Tessa asked as the squirtle nodded. "You don't need to worry about me."

"Don't worry!" Holly laughed. "I'm not too worried about you!" Her face turned slightly more serious. "Actually, I wanted to let you know that Livvi has set off for the Johto region as well."

"She has?" Tessa smiled knowingly. "Honestly! She needs to stop being so clingy!"

"Better not say that to her face!" Holly grinned. "She didn't seem like she was in a good mood when she left!"

"How long ago did she set off?"

"Four days ago. She'll probably reach New Bark Town the day after tomorrow."

"I'd better get moving then!" Tessa sighed. "I can't face being challenged to a battle straight away." She paused for a second. "Hang on, did they change their plans then?"

"Huh? Who?"

"You know: Livvi, James and Richard! I thought James was talking about them going to the Hoenn region…"

"Oh, James and Richard are still going to the Hoenn region," Holly explained. "Livvi said that she would end up relying too much on them if they came with her."

"Do they know that she's coming here?"

"She told them just before she left. They were disappointed, but they understood."

"So, my little sister is adventuring all on her own then?" Tessa grinned. "In that case, I know why you called me. Sorry, but I don't feel like babysitting her!"

"That's not what I'm asking," Holly replied with a sigh. "It's enough to know that you'll be able to react if she gets into trouble. I'm just asking that you don't get too far ahead of her."

"That depends on how slow she is!" Tessa laughed. "But I can do that. I've registered for the Johto League and I'm planning on leaving New Bark Town later today. I'll check back with you every time I reach a new town so you can tell me where Livvi is. Maybe I'll even pay her a visit from time to time!"

"Thanks, Tessa!" Holly smiled in relief. "Anyway, I won't keep you. Enjoy your journey!"

"Thanks, Mum! Bye!" Tessa called as Holly cut the line. She stepped away from the videophone and gave a gesture of thanks to the receptionist. As she returned to the trainers' lounge, she glanced out the window. It was starting to get cloudy – she should probably get moving soon so that she wasn't caught out by the rain.

"I guess this journey's going to be more interesting than I thought!" She smiled to herself.

* * *

 _Route 27, Kanto-Johto border_

 _1:45pm, 27_ _th_ _March 2006_

It was raining. _Really_ raining.

Sure, the sky had been a little overcast at the start of the day, but there was no way anyone could have predicted that _this_ much rain would suddenly start pouring down incessantly. The ground was soggy and saturated, the mud paths slippy and unstable, even the wildlife was sheltering from it.

Yet Livvi Weston was trudging slowly along one of many paths winding through the hills and mountains that separated the Kanto and Johto regions. She was wearing an anorak, the hood tightly pulled over her head, but it had been of little help in the torrential downpour. She was cold, she was wet. It was not an experience she was keen to repeat any time soon.

Fortunately, one of the people in the village she'd passed about an hour ago had told her that she was finally getting close to New Bark Town. She must have crossed over the border at some point earlier in the day. That, if nothing else, made her feel glad that she'd decided to continue moving today, rather than seeking shelter somewhere along the route.

Still, if she wasn't careful, then all the time she'd saved by travelling today would go to waste once she arrived. Her backpack was soaked through, with it all of her spare clothes and various other important items she needed for her travels. If the pokémon centre in New Bark Town didn't have a tumble dryer, then it was going to be a long wait for everything to dry out.

She let out a sigh and shuddered as she continued walking.

As the road turned a corner and emerged from one of the many narrow mountain passes, she suddenly caught sight of a town nestled among the trees by the sea. It was far larger than the villages Livvi had come across that day – she dared to hope that she was looking down at New Bark Town. Thankfully, her hope was rewarded as she spotted a road sign emerging from the downpour.

'New Bark Town.'

"Finally!" Livvi gasped, her voice filled with relief. She could practically feel the warmth of the pokémon centre already!

Just to be sure, she pulled out the large map of the Johto region she'd bought before setting off. Buying one that was water-resistant had been a good call too. She quickly scanned the map and found the dot marked 'New Bark Town'. Charting her progress from the last time she checked… yep, that was almost certainly New Bark Town.

"Alright, let's go!" Livvi cheered herself on as she folded away the map and resumed walking down towards the town.

She'd finally made it to the Johto region!

* * *

 _New Bark Town, Johto_

 _2:03pm, 27_ _th_ _March 2006_

"Your pokémon are all in good health – there's nothing to worry about." The nurse smiled as she passed Livvi's six poké balls back to her.

"Thanks." Livvi took the balls carefully. She hadn't been _that_ worried since her pokémon had scarcely battled since departing Viridian City, but there was always the chance that they could get injured or pick up infections and the like while they were out of their poké balls. There was no harm in being careful.

While her pokémon had been getting a check-up, she'd booked a room and taken a much-needed shower. Now that she was warm again and in some dry clothes that she'd borrowed from the pokémon centre, she felt much more relaxed. There was something innately comforting about changing into dry clothes and lounging around indoors after being out in the rain.

Of course, she couldn't quite relax yet. She still had something else that she needed to do first.

"Excuse me." She moved along the counter to speak to the receptionist.

"Yes, how can I help?"

"I was wondering if it's possible to register for the Johto League here…"

"Sure, I can register you." The receptionist nodded, tapping some keys on his computer. "Can I have your trainer card, please?"

"Here." Livvi handed it to him. She stepped back slightly as he started copying details from it. As she waited, she was suddenly struck by how nervous she felt. She'd travelled through Kanto and the Sevii Islands before alongside her friends and fellow pokémon trainers, James Burton and Richard Winter, but she'd never actually taken the gym challenge before – only watched from the side lines as both her friends in turn had taken a shot at it.

"Weston, was it?" the receptionist suddenly asked her, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Th-That's right!" She nodded, worried that there might be a problem.

"Here." The receptionist placed a letter on the counter. "This was left here for you a couple of days ago." Quickly swiping her trainer card, he placed that on top of the letter. "You're all registered. Do you already have a badge case?"

"No, I don't," Livvi replied.

"I'll give you this then." The receptionist added a plain, grey case with the words 'Johto Pokémon League 2006' emblazoned on the front to the small pile on the counter. "Good luck in your gym battles."

"Thanks." Livvi scooped up the items, returning her trainer card to her pocket, alongside the badge case. She turned her attention to the letter. Her heart sank as she recognised the handwriting.

Tessa.

She immediately turned the lid of the envelope away from her and held it at arm's length while she opened it. She shouldn't need these kinds of precautions, but, with Tessa, you could never be too careful.

Fortunately, the letter opened without incident. Livvi let out a sigh of relief before noticing that the receptionist was giving her a funny look. Turning bright red, she wrenched her arms back in and turned her back on the reception desk. Pulling out the piece of paper within, she unfolded it and started to read:

 _Hey, Livvi!_

 _If you're reading this, then I guess you managed to find your way to New Bark Town all by yourself. Well done – I'm very proud of you! I'm sure you're feeling pretty lonely without James and Richard around, so I'll hang around to keep you company every now and again. It's the least I can do for my little sister, right?_

 _Anyway, I need to get going now – those gym badges aren't going to win themselves. Lallo's looking forward to seeing you again too!_

 _Love you!_

 _Tessa_

"Grrr!" Livvi fumed, scrunching up the letter and tossing it into the bin in the corner of the lobby. The whole reason she'd reluctantly decided to travel alone instead of with James and Richard was to force herself to face her weaknesses and grow stronger. Anyway, she wasn't going to be lonely – she had her pokémon with her, after all!

Despite thinking that, she wondered how James and Richard were getting on with their preparation for their own journey to the Hoenn region. If memory served, they weren't heading out until a few days from now, but they'd need to be getting ready now if they wanted to leave on time. Would they be alright without her there to oversee organising everything? Were they going to be able to find their way across the Hoenn region with her map skills?

Letting out a sigh, she decided to head back up to room to see how her clothes were drying. There was no use worrying about James and Richard. Instead, she needed to think more about what she was going to do, how she was going to get strong enough to take on the gyms and, eventually, beat Tessa.

Once back in her room, she decided to let her pokémon out of their poké balls. As they all looked around the room, blinking and taking in their surroundings, Livvi started speaking to them.

"So, we've finally arrived in the Johto region and I've registered for the Johto League. We're going to have to do a lot of training if we want to catch up to Tessa and beat all of the gyms here, but I know that you guys can do it!"

The pokémon let out a brief cheer in response. Livvi smiled as she looked between them.

Barru, a bulbasaur, was her first pokémon. Though he only timidly joined in the cheering, the cheerful smile on his face showed how enthusiastic he was about what lay ahead. The bulb on his back wobbled slightly as he cheered.

Dorru, the first pokémon she'd ever caught, was also grinning. The mischievous nidorina was evidently eager for the opportunity to get back at Tessa's nidorina at some point in the future.

Cylune, a venomoth, trilled excitedly as he hovered in place. Livvi was half-expecting him to suddenly start flying around the room. He took great pride in his own power – that pride had been dented many times during Livvi's attempts to defeat Tessa. He was clearly happy at the prospect of improving himself further.

Evoro was the loudest and most excited of the bunch. The happy-go-lucky eevee was hardly ever in low spirits. Perhaps he thought the whole gym challenge was little more than a game. Such was his enthusiasm that Livvi could hardly get angry at him for 'not taking things seriously'.

Salea was calmer than the others, but gave Livvi a reassuring smile as she looked at her. The blissey was one of her toughest pokémon. She knew that Livvi would be counting on her in the early battles to get into the Johto League.

Though he cheered alongside the others, there was something different about Tavro, a hypno and the most recent addition to Livvi's team. Though he respected the enthusiasm of his team mates, he clearly seemed sceptical of their chances of success.

Livvi let out a sigh. That was hardly surprising, given Tavro's background. He had once trained under Markus, one of the strongest gym leaders in the Sevii Islands, before formally joining Livvi's team. Used to a tougher training regime and leadership skills far above what Livvi currently possessed, he often decided his own strategy when in battle. He didn't trust her to lead him to victory.

"Tavro," she began. "I'm not going to force you to listen to my commands – you know that I'm not that kind of person after all these months, right?"

The hypno nodded, fixing her with a piercing stare.

"Me and the others, we're going to win eight gym badges here in Johto and go to the Johto League. I'm going to train far harder than before and become much stronger. I hope that I'll be able to prove myself to you soon!"

The hypno slowly nodded. He didn't dislike Livvi (he'd chosen to return to her instead of staying with Markus, after all), so he wanted to see her grow stronger. Livvi got the impression that he was hoping that they could work together soon as well.

"I wonder what I should do now," she mused, turning to look out at the rain pouring down outside. Her team had done plenty of training on the way here and none of them would particularly welcome the prospect of going out in this weather. Except Barru, possibly.

Regardless, Livvi herself was feeling pretty worn out after the long walk through the rain to get her. There was no point in overdoing things – that would just leave her weaker in the long run. With the weather being what it was, she didn't exactly like the idea of being her journey to the next town either. Perhaps that was a sign that she should kick back and relax for the rest of the day.

"I guess we can take it easy just for today!" She grinned back at her team, who were clearly relieved by her decision.

* * *

 _10:12am, 28_ _th_ _March 2006_

A bright, dry morning to mark the official start of her new journey. The wind just cool enough to be refreshing rather than uncomfortable, the sun shining gently without feeling too oppressive. That was ideal travelling weather.

Unfortunately, it wasn't one of those mornings.

Livvi let out a sigh as she gazed out of the pokémon centre's entrance at the rain, which had continued pouring incessantly through the night and into the morning. She'd managed to get all her clothes dry again as well!

Still, she had to get going. If she let the weather stand in her way, then she'd never catch up to Tessa. Taking a deep breath, she stepped outside, shuddering as the cold rain struck her. Not pausing, she started walking to the west, in the direction of Route 29. Since she was going to get soaked either way, there was no point standing still.

As she walked, she pulled out her town map. Easily finding her position, she tracked the course of Route 29, her finger coming to rest of a place called 'Cherrygrove City'. That would be her next destination.

"Ugh," she groaned as she realised that she wasn't going to make there in a single day. The thought of having to set up her tent in the pouring rain didn't fill her with joy. Still, there was always the chance that the weather would improve at some point later on in the day. The ground would still soaked, sure, but at least there was less chance of the inside of her tent getting wet.

"Well, I guess I'll deal with that when it comes to it!" Livvi reassured herself. She reached the outskirts of New Bark Town and, casting a brief glance back the way she'd come, stepped out onto the path that lay ahead of her.

Despite the unpleasantness of the rain and the discomfort of the cold, a sense of optimism and enthusiasm rose within her. Even if today wasn't going to be the greatest, she still had a lot to look forward to. Though there was scarcely anyone outside at the moment, she was sure that she'd meet plenty of new and interesting people in the coming months. And the fact that even wild pokémon seemed to be wisely sheltering from the rain didn't bother her.

Her new journey had begun, and she wasn't going to let a bit of rain stop her from enjoying that.

* * *

 **So, Livvi's journey through the Johto region begins and she's got a lot of work ahead of her if she's going to be finally succeed in beating Tessa.**

 _ **Pokémon Journey: Livvi's Johto Scrapbook**_ **will have a somewhat unusual upload schedule compared to a normal** _ **Pokémon Journey**_ **story. I actually have two variants of the upload schedule which I've made a poll for deciding between.**

 **The first is 'Chronological', under which** _ **Johto Scrapbook**_ **chapters will be uploaded as close to** _ **Hoenn**_ **chapters occurring on the same in-story date (for example, Chapter 2 of** _ **Johto Scrapbook**_ **occurs on 4** **th** **-5** **th** **April 2006, which corresponds to the dates Chapter 4 of** _ **Hoenn**_ **occurs on, so the former would be uploaded in the same week as the latter). The advantage with this is that it creates more of a connection between the two stories, as well as meaning that** _ **Johto Scrapbook**_ **, due to an imbalance in the timeline, would finish much sooner and leave me free to focus solely on** _ **Hoenn**_ **in the second half of its run. This is also somewhat of a disadvantage as well, since it means you'll only be able to follow Livvi's adventures for about half of the overall run. At the same time, it means I'll have to produce multi chapters in a short space of time during the early stages of the run.**

 **The other option is 'Even Spread', under which** _ **Johto Scrapbook**_ **chapters will be spread out across the entire length of** _ **Hoenn**_ **'s run. The advantage to this is that it gives me more time to work on each chapter and means that** _ **Johto Scrapbook**_ **will be uploaded in tandem with** _ **Hoenn**_ **throughout the run. The downside is slightly longer waits between** _ **Johto Scrapbook**_ **chapters, the fact that the dates will be woefully out-of-sync by the later stages of** _ **Hoenn**_ **and that I will have my attention divided between the two stories through the duration of the run.**

 **I don't have a personal preference for which upload schedule** _ **Johto Scrapbook**_ **uses, which is why I'd like you to let me know what you think on the poll.**

 **Anyway, after that overly-long explanation, I'll finish by inviting you to let me know what you thought of this chapter. As usual, I welcome any feedback you have for me.**

 **Until next time!**

* * *

 **Team Listings:**

 **Livvi Weston:**

 **Active:**

 **Barru** (Bulbasaur): male, timid, highly persistent, likes sweet food, grass-poison type, Overgrow ability, knows Tackle, Sludge Bomb, Solar Beam and Leech Seed.

 **Dorru** (Nidorina): female, quiet, mischievous, likes dry food, poison type, Rivalry ability, knows Fury Swipes, Double Kick, Poison Sting and Crunch.

 **Cylune** (Venomoth): male, modest, proud of its power, likes dry food, poison-bug type, Shield Dust ability, knows Stun Spore, Psychic, Poison Powder and Silver Wind.

 **Evoro** (Eevee): male, jolly, alert to sounds, likes sweet food, normal type, Adaptability ability, knows Bite, Double Team, Take Down and Quick Attack.

 **Salea** (Blissey): female, gentle, somewhat vain, likes bitter food, normal type, Natural Cure ability, knows Softboiled, Psychic (in progress), Double Slap and Egg Bomb.

 **Tavro** (Hypno): male, quirky, loves to eat, eats anything, psychic type, Forewarn ability, knows Psychic, Hypnosis, Future Sight and Headbutt.


	2. New Friends

**Hello and welcome to the second chapter of** _ **Pokémon Journey: Livvi's Johto Scrapbook**_ **!**

 **With last chapter covering Livvi's arrival in Johto and re-establishing her character, it's time to get stuck into the journey proper.**

 **Upload Date: 8** **th** **March 2017**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: New Friends**

 _Route 30, Johto_

 _11:49am, 4_ _th_ _April 2006_

After a spell of warm, sunny days, dull grey clouds hung in the sky above Route 30. The sun's disappearance had brought temperatures down with it, leaving a surprisingly bitter cold in the air. As Livvi trudged forwards, she found herself regretting her decision to leave her sleeping bag that morning to continue onwards.

She'd been on Route 30 for several days now, having learned in Cherrygrove City that the closest pokémon gym was located in Violet City to the north. Admittedly, she hadn't been travelling particularly quickly on previous days, which was part of why she now felt that she needed to keep moving today – she had to make up for lost time!

As she climbed a set of stairs, she suddenly spotted another girl up ahead of her. She seemed a little confused, glancing at her map and then around, her orangey-brown, wavy pigtails swaying as she did. That wasn't Livvi's first thought though.

 _Isn't she cold?!_

Much to Livvi's shock, the girl was only wearing a thin, blue-grey tank top and a light pink skirt with a white trim around the bottom. Admittedly, she was also wearing a pair of black, over-the-knee socks, but that could scarcely be doing much to keep her warm! As she got closer, Livvi finally noticed the girl's confusion and the map in her hands.

"Excuse me!" she called out instinctively.

The girl jumped and looked around cautiously. "Y-Yes?"

"Umm, are you…lost, by any chance?" Livvi asked awkwardly.

"A-Ah, well…" the girl stammered. "Yes, a little. My mum taught me a bit of map reading before I set off, but…"

"Don't worry about it!" Livvi smiled reassuringly at her. "It's easy to get lost on a route this big. Did you only just become a trainer?"

"That's right." The girl nodded. "Oh, my name's Alicia! Alicia Law!"

"I'm Livvi Weston," Livvi replied. "Let me see your map for a second." She peered over Alicia's shoulder. "Ah, you're holding it upside down!"

"I am?!" Alicia cried in surprise, her face turning bright red. "I don't know how that happened!" She hastily flipped her map around.

"I worked out that we're roughly around here at the moment." Livvi pointed a part of Route 30. "You want to get going straight on if you're heading to Violet City, and then head west when you reach 'Dark Cave'."

"Thank you very much!" Alicia said gratefully, folding up her map.

"You're welcome." Livvi smiled at her. "Trainers need to help each other out when they need it." She waved as she started to walk away.

"Umm!" Alicia called after her. "Would you like to have a battle with me?"

"Huh?" Livvi stopped walking.

"I just became a trainer and I want to improve!" Alicia cried. "The best way to do that is to battle with others, right?"

Livvi grinned at her. "That's right! I accept your challenge!"

The pair of them moved off to the side of the path, finding a nice, open patch of grass to use as their battlefield. As they stood at opposing ends, they each pulled out a poké ball.

"How many pokémon do you want to fight with?" Livvi asked.

"I only have one pokémon at the moment!" Alicia called back.

"Just one-on-one then!" Livvi nodded. "Let's begin!"

"Go, Ruo!" Alicia called, throwing out her poké ball.

The ball popped open and a small, green quadruped pokémon with large, red eyes and a single large leaf on its head emerged. It gave an excited cry and started flicking its leaf from side to side.

"Ooh, what's that?" Livvi pulled out her Pokédex and aimed it at Alicia's pokémon.

" _Chikorita, the leaf pokémon. A chikorita's pleasantly aromatic leaves have the ability to check humidity and temperature. They are docile and love to soak up the sun's rays_."

"So, he's your starter?" Livvi called over as she put her Pokédex away. "What a cute pokémon!"

"Th-Thanks!" Alicia called back. Ruo the chikorita called back happily as well.

"Since you're using your starter pokémon, I will too!" Livvi tossed her poké ball into the air. "Go, Barru!"

Barru let out a cry as he burst out of the ball and materialised on the ground. He gave himself a shake and looked across the battlefield determinedly.

There was a small click as Alicia pulled out her own Pokédex and pointed it at Barru.

" _Bulbasaur, the seed pokémon. Bulbasaur can often be seen napping in bright sunlight. By soaking up the sun's rays, the seed on its back grows progressively larger._ "

"Wow! Our pokémon are actually really similar to each other!" Alicia cried as she put her Pokédex away. "Alright, Ruo, use Growl!"

The chikorita immediately started growling, waving his leaf from side to side aggressively.

"Now use Razor Leaf!"

With a cry, Ruo swung his leaf, sending a cloud of smaller leaves hurling towards Barru. Though he winced slightly as they slashed against him, it was clear that they'd done very little damage.

"Try using Tackle!" Alicia called.

Ruo charged forwards, a fierce look on his face. He slammed into Barru, but the bulbasaur stood his ground and knocked him back.

"Use Sludge Bomb!" Livvi ordered.

With a cry, Barru fired a blast of sludge towards Ruo, striking him before he had a chance to react and sending him flying back. He landed with a crash and didn't get up again.

"I-In just one move..?!" Alicia gasped. She stumbled forwards to check on Ruo as he unsteadily tried to get back up.

"Sorry about that!" Livvi cried, running over to join her. "It's been a while since I last battled – I'd forgotten how strong Barru was!"

"Don't worry about it." Alicia gave her a wobbly smile that only made her feel more guilty. "You learn more from defeat than from victory, right?"

"R-Right…" Livvi gave an empty agreement. She could remember when she'd done nothing but lose every battle she'd fought in the early days after starting on her journey the previous year. She'd eventually learned from those defeats and eventually claimed her first victory. Alicia would be able to do the same, though, admittedly, Livvi had never been defeated with a single attack.

Alicia quickly pulled out a potion and sprayed it on Ruo before recalling him to his poké ball. "How did you become so strong?" she asked, looking up at Livvi.

"H-Huh?" Livvi snapped back out of her thoughts. "I-I'm not really sure." She very nearly said that she didn't think she could be considered 'strong', but managed to hold back. She didn't want to damage Alicia's self-esteem any further. "I guess…" She started to seriously contemplate her answer. "I kept on training."

"Kept on training?" Alicia asked in wonder. "That's all?"

"Well, I used to travel with people who were challenging gyms, so I ended up training with them a lot," Livvi replied. "I lost a lot of battles when I was starting out, including my first, but I eventually got better and started winning."

"I see, so even you lost your first battle," Alicia sighed.

"What about you?" Livvi asked. "How did your first battle go?"

"…That was it."

"It was?!"

"Yeah…"

The two girls fell silent for a couple of seconds.

"I'm sorr-"

"Please don't apologise!" Alicia cried, her expression both pained and determined. "It wouldn't have been a proper battle if you hadn't tried your hardest to win!"

Livvi stared at her for a couple of seconds before smiling. "You've got a really good attitude, Alicia. I'm sure you'll get stronger soon."

"Thank you!" Alicia replied.

"Make sure you don't let any defeat keep you down," Livvi advised her. "I'm going to get moving again. Good luck!"

"Thanks for the battle!" Alicia called after her as she started walking away.

She seemed to have taken her defeat well, even though it couldn't have been easy for her. There were many other trainers out here in Johto, most of whom would be far stronger than either her or Livvi. Both of them were going to have to work much harder if they wanted to become strong.

That was the thought Livvi was left with as she continued on her way up Route 30.

* * *

 _6:01pm, 4_ _th_ _April 2006_

Night was rapidly approaching. The terrain was already cloaked in shadows, creating an eerie atmosphere. The dark shapes of the trees rustled as a cold wind blew through them. Though the sun had been hidden by the clouds all day, it was obvious that it was quickly disappearing from the sky. The grey clouds looked all the more ominous against the darkened landscape.

Livvi huddled closer to her campfire. If it got much colder, then she'd go and fetch a blanket from her tent to wrap herself in. Since it was getting late, she should probably start on dinner soon. There was plenty of food in her bag after her restock in Cherrygrove City, so she'd have a lot to choose from.

Her pokémon, lounging around close to the campfire to keep themselves warm as well, would be expecting to be fed soon as well. Evoro was already starting to shoot the occasional winning glance at her. But Livvi, worn out after that day's walking, had been keen to rest up before she embarked on that arduous task. It was an excuse which she was losing slightly more with each passing second – it had already been an hour since they stopped.

Growing impatient, Evoro pulled himself to his feet and walked over towards her, his soft cries carrying an increasingly indignant tone. Livvi had put it off for long enough. She let out a sigh and stood up. She stretched her arms above her head. Before she dealt with her pokémon, though, there was one other thing she needed to deal with.

"How long are you going to keep hiding?" she called loudly, her voice breaking the near-silence around her campsite.

"Eeep!" There was a startled cry from the nearby trees. After a brief delay, a timid-looking face appeared from behind one of the them.

"It's alright, you can come out!" Livvi called to the familiar face.

Alicia Law hesitantly left the shelter of the trees and approached the campfire.

"How did you know I was there?" she asked, not making eye contact.

"Oh, Tavro here has an ability called 'Forewarn'," Livvi replied, smiling at her as she gestured to the hypno. "He detected your presence a while ago and let me know!"

"Why didn't you say something then?" Alicia cried, shocked that her presence had been known this entire time.

"I was curious to see what you'd do!" Livvi giggled. "But I didn't want to leave you there all night!"

"Sorry," Alicia murmured. "I was trying to work up the courage to come over to you, but I couldn't think of a way to do it."

"Don't worry about it." Livvi smiled at her. "Though following me this whole time _was_ a tiny bit creepy."

"Urk." Alicia grimaced. "I'm sorry." She sat down by the fire. As she shifted slightly closer to it, Livvi noticed that her arms were covered in goose bumps – hardly surprising given that she wasn't wearing anything more than she had when they'd parted ways earlier in the day. She headed back over to the tent and dug around in her backpack. She eventually pulled out a pale brown hoodie and walked back out.

"Here!" She placed the hoodie over Alicia's back. "You must be pretty cold dressed like that."

"Th-Thank you!" Alicia replied. She gratefully pulled the hoodie on and snuggled into it.

"Don't you have anything warm to wear?"

"I didn't really think things through when I packed up."

"In that case, why don't you keep that hoodie?"

"I can?" Alicia was surprised by Livvi's offer. "You don't mind?"

"Yeah, it's fine." Livvi nodded. "I have plenty of others I can wear!"

"Then I promise I'll take good care of it!" Alicia smiled back at her.

"So, why did you decide to follow me in the first place?" Livvi asked, sitting down next to her.

"A-Ah, well," Alicia stuttered, not knowing where to begin. "I-I…I wanted to learn more from you!" she blurted out.

Livvi blinked twice. "Huh?"

"I mean…" Alicia began. "You looked really cool during our battle and I just thought: 'I want to learn more from her' and so I…"

"Y-You thought I looked cool?" Livvi stammered, her face starting to turn red. "A-Ah, but I'm not as good a trainer as you think I am! I've only been a trainer for a year and can barely hold my own as it is!" She let out a sigh. "I'm flattered that you think so highly of me, but I don't really think there's anything I can teach you…"

"That's totally fine!" Alicia cried. "I-I just wanted to travel together with you!"

There was a puzzled look on Livvi's face for a second before she smiled. "Sure, we can travel together if you want."

"You mean it?" Alicia's eyes lit up.

"Yeah." Livvi nodded. A frown suddenly crossed her face. "But weren't there any other starting trainers you could have gone with?"

"None." Alicia shook her head. "There was only one other girl getting her first pokémon at the same time as me in New Bark Town, but she ended up not starting on her journey."

"What happened?"

"She chose a totodile as her starter, but then it bit her hand," Alicia replied. "There was quite a lot of blood…"

"Ouch!" Livvi grimaced. "I'll keep that in mind if I ever encounter a totodile."

"Yeah, it's not something I'm going to forget anytime soon either." Alicia nodded.

"Anyway…" Livvi looked around, having noticed that her pokémon had gathered around. They all looked hungry and impatient. "I guess we should have dinner now." She turned back to Alicia. "Have you had dinner yet?"

"Not yet, no." Alicia shook her head.

"I'll put something together for both of us then!" Livvi grinned. "Did you want to send out your chikorita so he can eat as well?"

"Sure!" Alicia nodded enthusiastically.

* * *

 _11:23am, 5_ _th_ _April 2006_

"Come on!" Alicia cried as she hurled the poké ball towards the small brown bird. It gave a surprised cry as it was struck and sucked into the ball. It dropped to the ground and started rolling around. Alicia fixed it with a fierce stare, daring the wild pidgey to try and escape.

And escape it did.

"Aww," Alicia sighed in disappointment as the pidgey immediately took off and flew away.

"Catching pokémon is trickier than it looks, isn't it?" Livvi smiled at her. "Was that the first time you've tried it?"

"I tried to catch a sentret on my way up Route 29," Alicia replied. "But I didn't manage it…"

The two girls had packed up their campsite and set off just over an hour ago. They'd been making good progress before Alicia had spotted the pidgey and attempted to catch it. Livvi didn't really mind the delay though. It was a warm, sunny day and the breeze was just cool enough to be pleasant. If it had been pouring rain, then she'd have thought very differently.

"Hey, Livvi!" Alicia turned to her as they continued walking. "Can you teach me how to catch a pokémon?"

"Sure!" Livvi nodded, smiling at her. "When we spot a good pokémon, I'll give you a demonstration!"

"Thanks!" Alicia grinned happily back at her.

It shouldn't be too difficult. There were plenty of wild pokémon out today, enjoying the weather and otherwise skulking around in the bushes and trees that dotted the landscape around them. After walking for another ten minutes, Livvi caught sight of a pokémon that immediately drew in her attention.

"Oh? What's that?" She pulled out her Pokédex and pointed it at the small, blue, mouse-like pokémon.

" _Marill, the aqua mouse pokémon and the evolved form of azurill. A marill's body is covered with water-repellent fur, meaning that they can swim through water at high speed without being slowed by the water's resistance. The end of their tails serve as buoys that keep them from drowning, even in a vicious current_."

"Aww! Marill is such a cute pokémon!" Alicia nodded approvingly as Livvi put her Pokédex away.

The marill, noticing their presence, looked at them curiously. Though she didn't seem to view them as a threat, she had still adopted a more combative pose.

"Okay, I'll catch that marill to show you how it's done," Livvi said, pulling out a poké ball. "Go, Dorru!"

The nidorina let out a cry as she materialised, looking across at the marill.

"You're going to battle it?" Alicia asked.

"That's right!" Livvi nodded. "The best way to catch a pokémon is to weaken it first." She nodded at Dorru. "Use Crunch!"

Dorru raced forwards, striking the marill before she had a chance to react. As the nidorina jumped back, her opponent instinctively tucked herself up into a ball to protect herself from further attacks, before rolling forwards towards Dorru. However, the latter easily dodged the attack with a quick jump to the side.

"Use Fury Swipes!" Livvi ordered.

With a shout, Dorru rushed forwards again, raking the marill with a flurry of swipes. She stumbled back, but quickly recovered and fired a blast of water at Dorru, who cried out as she was blasted back.

"Use Fury Swipes again!" Livvi called.

Dorru leapt back in for another series of swipes, sending the marill reeling backwards.

"That's enough! Thanks, Dorru!" Livvi shouted, pulling out an empty poké ball. She threw towards the marill, scoring a direct hit. As the pokémon was sucked inside, the ball dropped to the ground and started rolling.

After a tense couple of seconds, there was a click and a small burst of sparks from the button on the front of the ball – the marill had been caught!

"You did it!" Alicia cried. "Thanks for showing me, Livvi!"

"No problem," Livvi replied. Recalling Dorru to her poké ball, she walked over and picked up the ball now containing the marill. Releasing the new pokémon, she pulled out a Super Potion and sprayed it on her. "Welcome to the team," she said. "Litine."

"Litine?" Alicia gave her a puzzled look.

"That's the name I just gave it," Livvi replied. She recalled Litine to her poké ball. She'd take the time to introduce her to her new team mates later on. Turning back to Alicia, she spoke again. "So, I guess it's your turn to try and catch a pokémon the next time we see one!"

"Y-Yes!" Alicia cried, suddenly getting tense. "I won't let you down!"

"Don't get so stressed about it!" Livvi laughed.

The two of them continued walking along the road, keeping their eyes peeled for any other wild pokémon. The sun was reaching its height in the sky and the temperature had risen, though not uncomfortably so. Livvi was secretly hoping that they could wrap things up quickly and get back to focusing on getting to Violet City.

Fortunately, Alicia spotted a pokémon she was interested in soon after that.

"Oh, it's a dunsparce!" she cried, pulling out her Pokédex and pointing it at the small, yellow creature lounging on a rock by the edge of a cliff.

" _Dunsparce, the land snake pokémon. Their drill-shaped tail is used to burrow into the ground backwards. Dunsparce are known to make their nests in complex shapes deep under the ground. They can float slightly using their wings_."

"Wings?" Livvi looked again as Alicia put her Pokédex away. Now that she looked carefully, the dunsparce had a pair of small, white wings on his back.

"Go, Ruo!" Alicia called.

Ruo burst out of the poké ball and landed softly on the ground, flapping his leaf from side to side in anticipation of the battle.

"Start off with Razor Leaf!" Alicia ordered.

Ruo nodded and fired a cluster of leaves towards the dunsparce, who let out a surprised cry as he was unexpectedly struck. Quickly recovering, he tucked himself into a ball to protect himself. An instant later, he sprang forwards in a counter attack. He slammed into Ruo, sending him flying back.

"Are you alright, Ruo?" Alicia called.

Ruo quickly pulled himself back up and nodded.

"That's a relief!" Alicia sighed. Her expression hardened. "Use Tackle!"

Ruo charged forwards, crashing into the dunsparce. The direct hit threw him back, though he quickly bounced back, incensed by the attack. He charged Ruo again, hitting him with a more powerful attack than the previous one.

Ruo quickly pulled himself back up though and looked back at Alicia expectantly for his next order.

"Use Growl and then Razor Leaf!"

Ruo cried out in understanding. He started growling at the dunsparce before firing another cluster of leaves at him. The dunsparce cried out in pain as he was hit and thrown back.

"Try throwing a poké ball now!" Livvi called to Alicia.

"R-Right!" Alicia quickly pulled an empty poké ball from her bag and hurled it at the dunsparce. He disappeared in a flash of light as the ball sucked him in. It dropped to the ground and started shaking. After a short pause, there was a cracking sound and the ball burst open again.

"Argh! You were so close!" Livvi called encouragingly as the dunsparce started charging towards Ruo again.

"Use Tackle!" Alicia ordered as Ruo nimbly evaded the dunsparce's attack.

With a cry, he charged at the exposed dunsparce, striking his back and sending him flying again.

Alicia quickly pulled out a second empty poké ball and threw it at the dunsparce. As the ball landed with a thud, it started rolling around. After a few tense seconds, the two girls finally let out a sigh of relief as there was a click and a small burst of sparks.

"I did it!" Alicia cried happily, running over to pick up the poké ball.

"Great work, Alicia!" Livvi grinned at her.

"Thanks!" Alicia smiled back. "It's all thanks to your demonstration!"

"I just showed you what to do – the rest was all you!" Livvi reminded her. She looked at the poké ball in Alicia's hand. "Are you going to give your dunsparce a nickname?"

"Hmm." Alicia pondered for a couple of seconds. "…It's hard to come up with nicknames on the spot, isn't it?"

"You can take your time," Livvi replied. "No one's rushing you."

"Hmmrgghh!" Alicia screwed up her eyes as she tried to think of something. "Ah! I've got it!" She turned to Livvi excitedly. "I'm going to call him 'Pari'!"

"Ooh! That sounds good!" Livvi nodded in response, smiling at the younger girl's excitement.

"Come on out, Pari!" Alicia called.

The dunsparce burst out of the ball and looked about in confusion. He briefly flinched as Alicia reached down to pat him on the head, but settled down pretty quickly.

"Let's get along and work together, Pari!" Alicia grinned.

"…We should probably get moving," said Livvi, looking around at their surroundings. "At the rate we're going, we might not make it to Violet City before nightfall."

"Sorry!" Alicia immediately leapt to her feet and returned Pari to his poké ball. "Let's get moving!"

* * *

 _Route 31, Johto_

 _6:42pm, 5_ _th_ _April 2006_

The sun was low in the sky, bathing the landscape in orange light. As Livvi finished setting up the tent on a tree-covered ridge, she gazed off into the distance. Beyond the winding country roads and sparse woodland, she could see the lights of a city twinkling at her. It was a little bit frustrating to be so close to their goal, but there was nothing they could do about it. Alicia was completely worn out after the day's walk and Livvi didn't want to press her too hard just so that they could get to Violet City a little earlier.

"How are you feeling?" she called over to Alicia, who was resting on the grass with her two pokémon.

"I'm still a little tired," Alicia replied. "But I feel much better!"

"That's good!" Livvi smiled at her. "I've finished putting the tent up, so if you can put your stuff inside!"

"Thanks." Alicia stood up and brought her bag into the tent. Technically, she had a tent of her own, but she preferred the idea of sticking close to her companion, even if Livvi's tent wasn't really built for more than one person. She didn't like to admit it, but she was easily scared at night and having someone else nearby was reassuring.

"I guess we should start thinking about dinner," Livvi sighed as she laid out her sleeping bag on a mat in the middle of the tent. "I'll get the stove out."

"I'll help as well!" Alicia cried, quickly throwing her sleeping bag down next to Livvi's and making to follow her out of the tent.

"Don't worry about it!" Livvi grinned at her. "You stay there and rest. I'll call you when it's ready."

"O-Okay." Alicia sat back on her sleeping bag. Her feet were still hurting her a little, so it was a good thing that she got some more rest. But she still felt guilty at not contributing as she looked out at Livvi turning on the stove and starting to put something together for dinner.

The temperature was starting to drop sharply as the sun disappeared, while the noises of flying type pokémon were slowly replaced with the chirping of nocturnal insects and the occasional hooting. The lights of Violet City glimmered more vividly in the distance as the sky darkened. Alicia was annoyed that they hadn't been able to get there today – she was going to need to redouble her efforts the following day. She couldn't drag Livvi down, not after all she'd done to help her.

"It's ready!" Livvi called, glancing back over her shoulder at Alicia.

"Coming!" Alicia pulled herself up and went back outside.

"I've been meaning to ask you, Alicia," Livvi began, handing Alicia a bowl full of stew. "What's your goal on your journey?"

"Ah, w-well!" Alicia stammered as she took the bowl. "Th-That's kind of…"

"Are you taking the gym challenge?" Livvi asked.

"Y-Yeah." Alicia nodded. "What about you, Livvi?"

"Same here," Livvi replied with a smile. "I guess that means we'll be competitors when we eventually reach the league!"

"Yeah," Alicia sighed. The thought of having to fight Livvi at the league; it made her heart sink.

"Well, before that we'll be helping each other train for gym battles," said Livvi, sensing the shift in her companion's mood. "I'll help you out as much as I can!"

"I-I'll do my best!" Alicia stuttered.

Livvi laughed and tucked into her meal. The two of them sat, eating and talking while watching the lights of Violet City in the distance. It was going to be a long and challenging journey ahead of them, but Alicia was filled with a sense of excitement and anticipation. She was looking forward to training with Livvi for their first gym battles.

* * *

 **First up, thank you to everyone who participated in the poll. By a majority of 3 to 2, the 'even spread' upload schedule will be adopted. While there won't necessarily be an exact pattern, I'm hoping to put out** _ **Johto Scrapbook**_ **chapters roughly once every four** _ **Hoenn**_ **chapters (an average of once a month).**

 **As ever, any feedback you have is more than welcome.** **If you've enjoyed what you've read so far, then you can like or follow the 'Pokémon Journey – Fanfiction Series' Facebook page to get announcements and news. Hope to see you there!**

 **Until next time!**

* * *

 **Team Listings:**

 **Livvi Weston:**

 **Active:**

 **Barru** (Bulbasaur): male, timid, highly persistent, likes sweet food, grass-poison type, Overgrow ability, knows Tackle, Sludge Bomb, Solar Beam and Leech Seed.

 **Dorru** (Nidorina): female, quiet, mischievous, likes dry food, poison type, Rivalry ability, knows Fury Swipes, Double Kick, Poison Sting and Crunch.

 **Cylune** (Venomoth): male, modest, proud of its power, likes dry food, poison-bug type, Shield Dust ability, knows Stun Spore, Psychic, Poison Powder and Silver Wind.

 **Evoro** (Eevee): male, jolly, alert to sounds, likes sweet food, normal type, Adaptability ability, knows Bite, Double Team, Take Down and Quick Attack.

 **Salea** (Blissey): female, gentle, somewhat vain, likes bitter food, normal type, Natural Cure ability, knows Softboiled, Psychic (in progress), Double Slap and Egg Bomb.

 **Tavro** (Hypno): male, quirky, loves to eat, eats anything, psychic type, Forewarn ability, knows Psychic, Hypnosis, Future Sight and Headbutt.

 **Litine** (Marill): female, mild, good endurance, likes dry food, water type, Thick Fat ability, knows Defence Curl, Tail Whip, Water gun and Rollout.

 **Alicia Law:**

 **Active:**

 **Ruo** (Chikorita): male, naughty, often dozes off, likes spicy food, grass type, Overgrow ability, knows Tackle, Growl and Razor Leaf.

 **Pari** (Dunsparce): male, quirky, likes to thrash about, eats anything, normal type, Serene Grace ability, knows Rage and Defence Curl.


	3. Flying High!

**It's been a while, but welcome to another chapter of** _ **Pokémon Journey: Livvi's Johto Scrapbook**_ **!**

 **Last chapter saw Livvi meet and help a new trainer called Alicia, who subsequently decided to join Livvi on her journey. The following day, both trainers caught a new pokémon: Livvi caught Litine the marill, while Alicia caught Pari the dunsparce.**

 **Upload Date: 26** **th** **April 2017**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Flying High!**

 _Violet City, Johto_

 _3:45pm, 6_ _th_ _April 2006_

"Use Tackle!" Alicia called desperately.

Ruo immediately charged forwards, despite the injuries covering his body.

"You're wide open!" Her opponent, a young man with dark blue hair and wearing a mostly light blue outfit, reacted quickly to her attack. "Use Gust!"

With a loud cry, his pidgeotto flapped his wings and whipped up a powerful gust of wind. The hapless Ruo, still struggling to race forwards down the middle of the arena, was caught up by it. Lifted off of his feet, he was hurled around by the ferocious gale before being flung to the ground with a loud thud.

"Chikorita is unable to battle!" the referee announced. "Pidgeotto is the winner! Both of the challenger's pokémon are unable to battle, so this match goes to the gym leader, Falkner!"

"Great work as ever, Pidgeotto!" Falkner grinned at the bird pokémon as he flew back over and landed on his outstretched arm. He cooed happily in response.

"I'm sorry, Ruo. You did your best." Alicia sadly recalled Ruo to his poké ball.

"You've got some promise, I'll give you that!" Falkner called to her as he walked over. "Given that you had a pretty bad type disadvantage, you and your chikorita did well to last as long as you did."

"Thanks," Alicia replied hollowly.

Up in the stands, Livvi let out a sigh. She wouldn't have gone so far to say that she'd been expecting this to happen, but she'd definitely known that Alicia wasn't going to have an easy battle once she'd realised that the Violet gym specialised in flying type pokémon. Unkind as it sounded in her head, she was glad that she'd had an opportunity to see what the gym leader's battle style was like before she battled him.

Alicia, in her enthusiasm, had insisted on challenging the gym first and, as luck would have it, had managed to secure a slot almost immediately after they'd showed up at the gym. At the time, Livvi hadn't decided whether it was good luck or bad luck, though the result of the battle seemed to have put her doubts to rest.

Though she hated to admit it, Alicia's performance had been even worse than her friend, James, had done in his very first gym battle. She and Pari hadn't had the time to get used to each other and the dunsparce had been knocked out within only a couple of moves. Ruo, the plucky chikorita, had lasted longer, but lacked the strength and training to overcome the type disadvantage.

"Well, I guess I'd better head back down to the lobby," Livvi said quietly to herself as she stood up. Alicia was going to need reassuring, but hopefully she'd be enthusiastic about the prospect of training together later on in preparation for another attempt. As for Livvi herself, she was going to need to think about who she was going to use in her own gym battle. Despite the size of her team, she lacked a pokémon with a decisive advantage over flying pokémon. Planning for her first gym battle was going to be tough.

* * *

 _4:15pm, 6_ _th_ _April 2006_

"It's okay. Everyone loses a gym battle at some point or another."

"Don't worry, I'm fine."

Back at the pokémon centre in Violet City, Livvi and Alicia were sat in the trainers' lounge reflecting on earlier events. Ruo and Pari were both being patched up by the nurse – they'd be fine after a good rest. Livvi's biggest concern was keeping Alicia's spirits up after her first gym loss.

"Once Ruo and Pari are back from the nurse, do you want to train together?" she asked. "I need to spend some time training with Litine before I take on Falkner myself."

"Sure." Alicia nodded. She frowned, as though pondering something.

"What's wrong?" Livvi asked her.

"Nothing," Alicia replied hesitantly. "It's just that I was wondering why you decided to send Dorru back to Kanto."

"Ah, that." After arriving in Violet City and heading for the pokémon centre, Livvi had decided to transfer Dorru back home. She hadn't thought about telling Alicia about it, but she'd clearly been watching anyway. "Well, I thought it would be a bad idea to keep more than six pokémon on my team for too long."

"Ohh! I did wonder about that!" Alicia smiled at her. "I always thought that trainers were limited to six pokémon at a time."

"That's sort of right," Livvi replied. "There's technically nothing stopping a trainer from carrying around tens, or even hundreds, of pokémon at the same time. But it's complicated having to care for large numbers of pokémon at the same time. The main reason is that you can only register six pokémon to your trainer card at a time."

"So, what does that mean?" Alicia asked. "You can battle with any pokémon you have with you, right?"

"Again, technically you can," Livvi explained. "But if you want to fight official battles, you can only use pokémon registered to your trainer card – it's why you always have to give them your trainer card when you register for gym battles."

"That makes sense." Alicia nodded, satisfied that she now understood. "Thanks for explaining it, Livvi!"

"You're welcome!" Livvi smiled at her. "You can ask me about anything if you're unsure."

"In that case…" Alicia began. She shifted hesitantly. "When I was talking to Falkner after my battle, he was telling me that it's possible to challenge gyms as a team…"

"A team? You mean two trainers fighting together to get the gym badge?" Livvi asked.

"That's right." Alicia nodded. "I-I was wondering if you'd fight alongside me when I challenge Falkner again…"

To think that two people could challenge the gym at the same time! Livvi had never heard of that before. She felt conflicted though. Though she wasn't showing it, Alicia was probably still rattled by her earlier loss. Though defeat was a part of the gym challenge, she didn't want to harshly tell the girl to get on with it by herself.

On the other hand, Livvi was aware that the whole reason she'd set off on her own journey instead of following James and Richard was so that she forced herself to grow stronger. While Alicia was very far from being in a position to mentor her, there was the risk that she would grow too accustomed to having someone else there to help fight her battles. That was no way to go about winning Tavro's approval.

"Well…" Livvi began. She smiled weakly. "Don't you want to have the satisfaction of defeating a gym leader all on your own?"

"I think that coordinating with someone else to win would be really satisfying too," Alicia replied without hesitation.

 _Foiled!_ Livvi sighed internally. She had a point though. It was tough enough coordinating a battle with just one pokémon. When there was another trainer involved as well, it was even more of a challenge.

"Umm, if it's really a problem," Alicia began, a troubled look on her face. "Then we could just team up for this battle and then fight separately in our other gym battles, when I've grow stronger."

"…" Livvi let out a sigh. She still felt reluctant, but the winning smile on Alicia's face was hard to resist. "W-Well, I guess it'll help me improve if we have to coordinate with each other!" she said. "Just for this gym battle, okay?"

Alicia's face broke into a bright smile. "Thank you, Livvi!" she cried in delight, grabbing Livvi's hands in her own and bouncing up and down happily.

"Calm down!" Livvi smiled back at her. "So, as soon as Ruo and Pari are healed up, shall we head out and do some training?"

"Sure!" Alicia nodded eagerly.

* * *

 _4:57pm, 6_ _th_ _April 2006_

"Okay, I think that's enough for today!" Livvi called over to Alicia.

"Already?" Alicia cried.

The two of them had been outside the pokémon centre, training on one of the arenas behind the building. They'd only been out there for half-an-hour and, while they hadn't been travelling together long enough to have a 'usual' regime, Alicia had anticipated that they'd be training for longer, given that they had a gym battle the following day.

"Well, we don't want to overdo it," Livvi replied. "Ruo and Pari are still worn out after today's battle."

"I guess you're right," Alicia sighed. "I just wanted to get in as much practise with their new moves as possible."

"They aren't complicated moves," Livvi replied. She paused for a second. "Still, I guess we could practise them once more before we head in."

"Is that okay?" Alicia asked.

"Well, it's just practising the moves rather than fighting, isn't it?" Livvi smiled.

"Alright!" Alicia nodded. She turned to Ruo, who was flicking his leaf from side to side eagerly. "Use Reflect!"

Ruo cried out in response. He screwed his eyes shut in concentration and focused as hard as he could. There was a flick of energy. Then a small, blue forcefield appeared around him. As he focused even more, the field expanded, covering even more ground.

"Okay, Ruo, that's enough!" Alicia called.

The chikorita gasped for breath in relief, apparently having forgotten to breathe in his determination to successfully pull off the move.

"Does that look like the right size to you, Livvi?" Alicia asked, turning to look at her companion.

"Hmm." Livvi pondered for a couple of seconds. "Probably, yes. It was a lot bigger than the ones you were creating earlier. I think Ruo still needs a bit of time to get used to using it like that though…"

"We'll try our best, won't we, Ruo?"

The chikorita cried out enthusiastically in response.

"So, did you and Pari want to practise using Yawn again?" Livvi asked. "That's the really simple one!"

"I think we managed to get that one right!" Alicia laughed. "But let's practise it once more, Pari!"

Pari bounced up and down a couple of times in anticipation, grinning at Alicia before he opened his mouth and let out a loud yawn.

It didn't look like much, but just watching him was making Livvi feel drowsy. In fact, Alicia and Pari practising Yawn had got her so tired that she was starting to worry that she'd fall asleep right there. She wasn't going to admit to Alicia that it was the real reason why she wanted to call that day's training at an end.

Pari finally closed his mouth and returned to bouncing around, waiting the other pokémon eagerly as they drooped and finally drifted off to sleep.

"Great-" Alicia paused to yawn herself. "Great work, Pari! That's perfect!"

"It might be a little too powerful," Livvi said, stifling a yawn of her own. "It'll do for tomorrow, but you don't want to put your allies, or even yourself, to sleep in the middle of a battle!"

"Sorry," Alicia replied guiltily. "I guess Pari is just too eager."

"It's better that way than the other way." Livvi smiled at her. "You'll have a chance to practise again tomorrow morning, before the gym battle."

"Oh, on that subject," Alicia began. "What's going to be our plan?"

"Hmm." Livvi thought for a second. "I haven't quite decided. If you've got any ideas, then feel free to say."

"Well, I'm not sure who you're planning to use, but I thought I'd go with Pari," said Alicia. "We can use Yawn to put the enemy to sleep and then we can support you with Rage."

"Well, Ruo's Reflect would also be useful, since it provides a defensive boost to the whole team," Livvi replied thoughtfully. "But then there's the type disadvantage…"

"Have you decided who you're going to use yet?" Alicia asked.

"Not yet, no," Livvi replied. "I'll decide before the battle tomorrow though." She glanced at the rapidly fading sun in the sky. "Anyway, let's head in for tonight. We need to make sure we're well-rested ready for tomorrow!"

"Sure!" Alicia nodded.

* * *

 _11:31am, 7_ _th_ _April 2006_

"How are you feeling?"

"Huh?" Alicia looked up, snapping out of her thoughts in response to Livvi's question. "A little bit nervous, I guess."

They were walking down the corridor towards the arena in the Violet gym. The receptionist had confirmed that they could fight the battle as a team and that a victory by their team would earn both of them the gym badge, even if one of them ran out of pokémon during the battle.

"It's fine to feel nervous," Livvi said reassuringly as they reached the doorway. "But try not to let it get to you."

"I wish I had your confidence," Alicia sighed.

"I'm not confident at all," Livvi replied as they stepped into the room. "This is my first gym battle, after all."

"Welcome to my gym!" They heard Falkner call to them from across the arena. "Or welcome back, in your case, Alicia! It's rare for me to have two challengers fighting me at the same time – should be an interesting battle!"

"Are the rules going to be much different from a regular gym battle?" Livvi called as she and Alicia reached their positions.

"It's still a two-on-two battle," Falkner replied. "But I'll be using two pokémon, while you'll be using one each. That means no substitutions for either side."

"You're confident in your choice?" Livvi looked at Alicia.

"Yeah." Alicia nodded. "I know that Pari will be able to handle it."

"I'll trust in my pokémon as well." Livvi tightened her grip on her poké ball.

"Alright!" The referee stepped up to his position halfway along the battlefield. "This is an official Johto League gym battle between Falkner, the Violet City gym leader, and the challengers, Alicia Law from Cherrygrove City and Olivia Weston from Viridian City! The match will be fought using a two-on-two double battle format and will be over when one side has no pokémon left who can battle. Neither side may substitute pokémon during this battle!"

"Huh?" Alicia turned and stared at Livvi. "'Olivia'?"

"You didn't think 'Livvi' was my full name, did you?" Livvi smiled awkwardly in response. "It's just a nickname."

"Th-Then, should I call you 'Olivia' instead?" Alicia asked, her tone suddenly startled.

"'Livvi' is fine," Livvi replied. "I wouldn't have introduced myself to you using it otherwise."

"Are both sides ready?" the referee called.

Falkner, Livvi and Alicia all nodded.

"Begin!"

"Go, Pidgeotto, Noctowl!" Falkner called, hurling out two poké balls.

With a burst of sparks, Pidgeotto appeared, alongside a brown owl with a pattern of black feathers on its chest that looked like triangles.

"Noctowl and Pidgeotto." Alicia quickly pulled out her Pokédex.

" _Pidgeotto, the bird pokémon and the evolved form of pidgey. Pidgeotto have outstanding vision and are able to distinguish the movement of prey no matter how high they fly. They render their prey immobile using well-developed claws, then carry the prey more than 60 miles to their nest._ "

" _Noctowl, the owl pokémon and the evolved form of hoothoot. A noctowl's eyes are specially adapted to concentrate even faint light and enable them to see in the dark. When they need to think, they rotate their head 180 degrees to sharpen their intellectual powers._ "

"Pidgeotto was a tough opponent for you in the last battle, but Falkner was holding Noctowl back," Livvi whispered. "I reckon that's his strongest."

"What's our plan?"

"Same as we discussed!" Livvi grinned. She pulled out her poké ball and threw it. "Go, Litine!"

The marill burst out of the ball and landed on the ground, determination burning in her eyes.

"G-Go, Pari!" Alicia stumbled over her words as she threw out Pari's poké ball.

The dunsparce materialised and immediately started thrashing about in excitement.

"Noctowl, use Confusion on the marill!" Falkner called, not wasting any time.

Noctowl let out an eerie hoot as his eyes lit up with a blue light. Litine was immediately lifted into the air and hurled to the ground with a thud and a cry of pain.

"Use Double Team!" Falkner yelled to Pidgeotto as Litine started pulling herself together.

Pidgeotto immediately summoned a cluster of doubles and started preparing for an attack.

"What should we do?" Alicia cried, looking to Livvi.

"Focus on the defence for now!" Livvi called. Turning back to Litine, she called out again: "Use Defence Curl!"

"You use Defence Curl too, Pari!" Alicia added.

Both pokémon acknowledged their trainers' orders with a cry and tucked themselves up to prepare for the onslaught.

"Pidgeotto, use Wing Attack on the dunsparce!" Falkner ordered. "And Noctowl, use Peck!"

With a screech, Pidgeotto dove at Pari, striking him with his wing and sending him flying back.

"Watch out, Pari!" Alicia shouted in warning as Noctowl swept in after his team mate. Thanks to the warning, Pari was just able to recover and roll clear before the second attack could hit.

"Well-spotted, Alicia!" Livvi called to her. "Use Water Gun on Pidgeotto!" she added, issuing an order to Litine.

"A-And you use Rage on Noctowl!" Alicia called. Her heart was hammering like crazy – even more so than in her first battle with Falkner. Was it the added pressure of Livvi relying on her?

A blast of water from Litine struck Pidgeotto as he attempted to circle back towards Falkner, while Pari's sudden counter attack caught Noctowl by surprise and knocked him back.

"Use Defence Curl again!" Livvi called.

"Noctowl, use Aerial Ace on the marill!" Falkner shouted.

As Litine tucked herself more into a ball, Noctowl regained his composure and dove at Litine, scoring a direct hit.

"Use Yawn on Noctowl!" Alicia quickly called as Litine was thrown back with a cry.

Pari nodded and yawned loudly as Noctowl passed by. The owl simply ignored him, however.

"Huh?" Alicia blinked a couple of times in confusion. "What happened?"

"Use Sand Attack on the dunsparce!" Falkner shouted.

Pidgeotto flew in from Pari's right while he and Alicia were distracted by the failure of their previous attack and kicked a cloud of sand in his face.

"Pari!" Alicia cried in alarm.

"Don't worry, Alicia!" Livvi called. "Litine, use Rollout on Pidgeotto!"

Litine, already tightly rolled into a ball, rushed at Pidgeotto as he attempted to pull away from Pari. He let out a screech at she slammed into him and sent him crashing back.

Noctowl, in the meantime, swung round and dove towards Pari, aiming to slam into him with a powerful tackle. However, the dunsparce spotted him despite the sand in his eyes and dodged to one side at the last moment. Noctowl was only just able to halt his dive before he reached the ground.

"Use Rollout on Noctowl!" Livvi ordered.

Litine didn't waste the opportunity. Already spinning around after her strike on Pidgeotto, she took advantage of Noctowl's momentary disarray and crashed into him from the right side.

Pidgeotto, meanwhile, had pulled himself back up. Responding to Falkner's orders, he summoned a new group of doubles and prepared to attack.

"Water Gun!" Livvi called.

Litine stopped rolling and, jumping out of the ball she'd curled herself into, fired a blast of water at the group, knocking out the doubles as the real one dodged to the left.

"Now's your chance, go!" Livvi urged Alicia.

"R-Right!" Alicia turned to Pari. "Use Rage on Pidgeotto!"

Pari charged at Pidgeotto, gaining speed as he drew closer to the open target. Just as he was about to reach him, he was suddenly struck in the side. Noctowl had recovered and rushed to intercept him.

"Great work, Noctowl!" Falkner called with a grin.

"Alicia, I'm going to set up for Rollout again!" Livvi called. "Can you cover me?"

"S-Sure!" Alicia nodded.

"Use Defence Curl!" Livvi shouted.

Litine quickly curled up in a ball as Pari rushed towards Noctowl to distract him.

"Use Gust on the marill!" Falkner called.

Pidgeotto quickly whipped up a powerful gust of wind and blew it in Litine's direction. Despite taking a direct hit, she held her ground and managed to avoid being blown back.

"Rollout!" Livvi yelled the instant the gust of wind died down.

Not wasting a single second, Litine started rolling. Pidgeotto tried to fly clear, but was suddenly attacked in the flank by Pari. He toppled down directly into Litine's path.

"Pidgeotto!" Falkner cried in alarm as the bird pokémon took a direct hit and was hurled back. He landed with a crash and remained motionless.

"Pidgeotto is unable to battle!" the referee announced.

The three trainers barely heard him. The battle was continuing to rage in earnest, with Noctowl swerving to avoid Litine and she whirled around to attack him.

"Use Rage!" Alicia shouted to Pari, taking advantage of Falkner's momentary distraction as he recalled Pidgeotto.

The dunsparce was quick to move, darting beneath Noctowl and shooting straight up, scoring a direct hit. As the flying type struggled to recover, Litine stopped rolling and turned back to face him.

"Use Water Gun!" Livvi ordered.

Litine quickly fired a blast of water at Noctowl, only for him to dive clear at the last moment, the force of the air displaced by his wings sending Pari flying.

"Use Confusion on the marill!" Falkner yelled.

Noctowl hooted in reply, his eyes glowing blue as he grabbed Litine with his psychic powers.

"Hit him while you can!" Livvi called to Alicia.

"Use Rage!" Alicia shouted.

Pari, recovering from being hurled aside earlier, tore towards Noctowl while his focus was fixed on Litine. As the marill was thrown to the ground with a crash, Pari leapt into the air, using his tiny wings to give himself a little bit more distance. He slammed into Noctowl from behind, striking the small of his back. The force of the impact sent Noctowl crashing face first into the ground. Pari, on his back, was thrown clear. He also landed with a thud, but was quick to thrash his way back up.

A silence fell over the arena as everyone watched the motionless noctowl. The tension was thick in the air and Alicia could scarcely hear anything beyond the hammering of her heart.

"Noctowl is unable to battle!" the referee finally announced. "Both of the gym leader's pokémon are unable to battle, so the winners of this match are the challengers, Alicia Law and Olivia Weston!"

"We did it!" Alicia cheered, running over to Livvi and throwing her arms around in joy.

"Great work, Alicia." Livvi smiled at her and patted her head. "You and Pari did a really great job out there." She couldn't quite believe it. She'd just fought her first gym battle and had managed to come out victorious. The churning emotions of joy, relief and excitement that were swirling around her heart – was this how James and Richard had felt when they'd won their first victories?

"Congratulations, both of you!" Falkner grinned at them as he recalled Noctowl and walked over to them. "Fighting a battle alongside another trainer is never an easy thing, but you girls worked really well together." He reached into his pocket and produced two badges shaped like a bird's wings. "I present you each with the Zephyr Badge. You've earned it!"

"Thanks, Falkner!" Alicia replied, taking her badge and gazing at it in delight.

"Thank you!" Livvi took hers. She couldn't stop a smile spreading across her face as she looked at the badge and felt it in her hand. Internally, she was jumping for joy. Now, she was truly on the same path as James and Richard, and a step closer to being able to defeat Tessa.

* * *

 _11:54am, 7_ _th_ _April 2006_

"So, where are we going to head next?" Alicia asked as they walked out of the Violet City gym.

"Hmm." Livvi thought for a couple of seconds. "I was reading that it's a nice road down towards Azalea Town, so perhaps we could go there."

"That sounds fine to me." Alicia walked ahead of Livvi and turned to face her, a bashful look on her face. "Umm, thanks for agreeing to battle alongside me. I hope I wasn't too much of a liability…"

"No, you did great!" Livvi grinned at her. "I couldn't have won that battle without you, Alicia!"

"Th-Thanks." Alicia smiled shyly, looking down towards the ground.

"Still, that was nerve-wracking!" Livvi sighed. "I don't think I've been that nervous for a long time!"

"I wonder why Yawn didn't work back then." Alicia frowned. "I'm sure that Pari did everything right…"

"Ah, I think Noctowl has an ability called 'Insomnia'," Livvi explained. "It means that it can't be put to sleep during a battle."

"That explains it," Alicia sighed. "If only I'd known that beforehand, then we'd have been much more useful."

"You don't need to worry about that." Livvi assured her. "You and Pari did a good job – you finished off Noctowl, after all!"

"Still, I want to make sure that I don't make mistakes like that again," Alicia said. "I may still be a burden for a while, but I hope that you'll help me improve."

"Sure, not a problem." Livvi smiled at her. "Anyway, we should head back to the pokémon centre. We need to heal up our pokémon and get ready to set off for Azalea Town."

"Yeah!" Alicia nodded. She stopped walking as Livvi passed her and gazed after the older trainer for a couple of seconds, her eyes sparkling in wonder.

"You coming?" Livvi asked, turning back to look at her.

"I am!" Alicia replied quickly, hastily following after her.

* * *

 **So, the first step on the road to the Johto League for both girls. I've decided that I'll mostly avoid writing out the whole battle when Livvi or Alicia lose gym battles so as to save time (this isn't supposed to have the same level of detail as** _ **Hoenn**_ **, after all!).**

 **As ever, any feedback you have on this chapter then feel free to let me know. Next chapter will come out after Chapter 12 of** _ **Pokémon Journey: Hoenn**_ **is uploaded.**

 **Until next time!**

* * *

 **Team Listings:**

 **Livvi Weston:**

 **Active:**

 **Barru** (Bulbasaur): male, timid, highly persistent, likes sweet food, grass-poison type, Overgrow ability, knows Tackle, Sludge Bomb, Solar Beam and Leech Seed.

 **Cylune** (Venomoth): male, modest, proud of its power, likes dry food, poison-bug type, Shield Dust ability, knows Stun Spore, Psychic, Poison Powder and Silver Wind.

 **Evoro** (Eevee): male, jolly, alert to sounds, likes sweet food, normal type, Adaptability ability, knows Bite, Double Team, Take Down and Quick Attack.

 **Salea** (Blissey): female, gentle, somewhat vain, likes bitter food, normal type, Natural Cure ability, knows Softboiled, Psychic (in progress), Double Slap and Egg Bomb.

 **Tavro** (Hypno): male, quirky, loves to eat, eats anything, psychic type, Forewarn ability, knows Psychic, Hypnosis, Future Sight and Headbutt.

 **Litine** (Marill): female, mild, good endurance, likes dry food, water type, Thick Fat ability, knows Defence Curl, Tail Whip, Water Gun and Rollout.

 **In Viridian City:**

 **Dorru** (Nidorina): female, quiet, mischievous, likes dry food, poison type, Rivalry ability, knows Fury Swipes, Double Kick, Poison Sting and Crunch.

 **Alicia Law:**

 **Active:**

 **Ruo** (Chikorita): male, naughty, often dozes off, likes spicy food, grass type, Overgrow ability, knows Tackle, Growl, Razor Leaf and Reflect.

 **Pari** (Dunsparce): male, quirky, likes to thrash about, eats anything, normal type, Serene Grace ability, knows Rage, Defence Curl and Yawn.


	4. Splash!

**Hello and welcome to Chapter 4 of** _ **Pokémon Journey: Livvi's Johto Scrapbook**_ **!**

 **Last chapter saw Livvi and Alicia both challenge Falkner as a team and winning their first gym badges together.**

 **Upload Date: 23** **rd** **May 2017**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Splash!**

 _Route 32, Johto_

 _4:48pm, 8_ _th_ _April 2006_

"Hmm. I don't like the look of the sky," Livvi said. She and Alicia were walking along the forested road down the coast towards Azalea Town. It had been a bright, sunny day when they'd set off from Violet City that morning, but the weather had been steadily deteriorating throughout the afternoon.

"Do you think it's going to rain?" Alicia asked, looking up at the sky as well.

"It might." Livvi nodded. "I'm just getting this feeling…"

It certainly felt like there was a tension in the air, like the calm before a storm. The warmth that had accompanied the sun in the morning had vanished completely. Now there was just a lingering coldness that seeped into Livvi's bones whenever she stopped moving.

"Should we find somewhere to take shelter?" Alicia asked.

"Hmm." Livvi thought for a couple of seconds. "Actually, I was thinking that we could stop for the day and pitch the tent."

"Ah, I guess so." Alicia nodded. "We've been walking for a while, haven't we?"

"Yeah, we covered a lot of ground today. We've earned a rest." Livvi agreed with her.

The two of them continued walking until they found a nice spot overlooking the sea in the distance through a gap in the tall, tree-covered hills that enclosed the road they were following.

Though the route they'd followed was quiet, it wasn't desolate. As well as the occasional wild pokémon they'd seen while travelling, it seemed that there were plenty of other people using the route. As well as some other trainers they'd briefly been walking with, they'd also encountered a group of workmen constructing a railway line in a newly-built tunnel through one of the hills. The future route for the new magnet train from Kanto, they'd said.

By now, though, there were no other people around. Livvi imagined that most would have stopped off in the seaside town they'd passed through about an hour ago. Since there was a pokémon centre there, it would have made a more logical stopping point. Still, both she and Alicia had felt able to keep moving and it meant they'd have a head start come the morning.

Putting up the tent had become something of a team effort nowadays. Though unwilling to completely listen to her in battle, Tavro was more than happy to do as Livvi asked outside of battle. He was quietly levitating the tent in position while Alicia, Barru and Litine raced to put all the poles in place. The other pokémon were working together to get the guy ropes stretched out, ready for when the rest of the tent was set up. Livvi herself was checking their position on the map and getting the stove out.

"Umm, am I doing it right?" Alicia called over. She was cautiously threading a pole through the slot in the exterior of the tent.

"That's right!" Livvi nodded. "Just keep pushing it through until it reaches the other side!"

The process continued until the tent was finally up. Both trainers and pokémon were able to let out a sigh of relief. Though briefly left with nothing to do but relax, Alicia was keen to get back to training.

"Can we keep practising the moves we learned today?" she asked Livvi.

"Oh? You mean Ruo's Poison Powder?" Livvi pulled herself to her feet. "Sure, I don't mind. Cylune and I need to practise using Toxic as well!"

During an earlier training session, Alicia had, having heard from another trainer that chikorita can learn how to use Poison Powder, asked Livvi to have Cylune help tutor Ruo. Given how simple the move was to use, they'd been able to more-or-less master it in that single training session, but Cylune had started attempting to use a more potent type of poison at the same time. Given that it was taking a little while for him to master it, Alicia's concern with training was more for Livvi's sake than for her own.

"Ruo, use Poison Powder!" Alicia ordered.

Ruo quickly responded. He fired a cluster of purple spores, covering a respectable distance. As the spores settled on the ground, he looked back at Alicia with a chuffed look on his face.

"That was perfect! Great work, Ruo!" Alicia grinned back.

"Let's try using Toxic!" Livvi called to Cylune.

Cylune shot out a clump of sludge, covering a greater distance than Ruo. However, even Livvi could see that the poison wasn't as potent as it should be.

"Try letting the poison accumulate more before you fire!" she called to him.

Cylune nodded and fired again. They continued practising for another couple of hours before the fading light and the necessity of dinner forced them to stop.

* * *

 _10:49pm, 8_ _th_ _April 2006_

It was completely silent inside the tent as Livvi and Alicia lay in their sleeping bags. Outside, the distant chirping and clicking of insects, which Alicia had been convinced would keep her up all night, now seemed quieter, more rhythmic. If Livvi wasn't deliberately listening out for it, then it probably would have slipped out of her mind a long time ago.

Her attention was distracted by the sound of Alicia shifting around. It seemed that she hadn't gotten to sleep yet either.

"…Are you still awake, Livvi?"

"Yeah," Livvi replied. She turned on her side to look over at Alicia, not that she'd be able to make out her face in the darkness. "Can you not get to sleep?"

"I guess not," said Alicia. "Whenever I think about what'll happen next on our journey, I just get too excited!"

"Haha! I know that feeling!" Livvi laughed, smiling at the younger girl even though she knew that she couldn't see it.

"Hey, Livvi." Alicia drew closer. "You went travelling last year too, didn't you?"

"That's right," Livvi replied. "I started my journey last year. I travelled in Kanto and the Sevii Islands with some new friends I'd made."

"The Sevii Islands?"

"Ah, they're a collection of islands south of Kanto," Livvi explained. "They have their own pokémon league and everything!"

"Did you fight in the league there as well?"

"No." Livvi frowned. "Back then, I just wanted to travel, so I just followed my friends when they challenged the gyms."

"Did…umm…did something happen to them?" Alicia asked.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Livvi asked, puzzled by the sudden question.

"It's just that you were travelling alone when we first met…"

"Ah! Yeah, they wanted to go somewhere else." Livvi paused for a second. "Both James and Richard wanted to challenge gyms in the Hoenn region, so that's where they are now."

"What sort of people are they?" Alicia asked. "What sort of things did you do while travelling?"

"They're both really kind," Livvi replied. "I ended up relying on them too much really…" she sighed. "That's why I decided to come here by myself – so that I can improve myself."

"W-Was me joining you a problem?" Alicia asked. "If you wanted to train by yourself…"

"No, not at all!" Livvi reassured her. "You're even newer than I am to this, so I have to be the dependable one for once!"

"That's a relief," Alicia sighed.

"I need to get stronger so that I can beat my older sister, Tessa." Livvi continued. "That's why I decided to go by myself and to take on the gym challenge."

"Your sister is a trainer too?"

"Yeah! She's the most annoying person you'll ever meet!" Livvi explained fiercely. "She's trained one of her pokémon to always fire water at me whenever I'm around! And she'll always try and embarrass me in front of my friends too…"

"Don't worry! I'll help you beat her!" Alicia burst out, reaching out to grab Livvi's hand. "I know what it's like to have an older sibling looking down on you!"

"Do you have an older sister as well?" Livvi asked.

"No, an older brother," Alicia replied. "I don't see him that much these days, but he always used to steal my toys when we were kids."

"Is he off travelling as well?" Livvi asked.

"…Yeah, something like that," Alicia replied, looking away. "Anyway, did you and your friends only go to these Sevii Islands for the league?"

"Well, we were actually sent on a mission by a man named Bill," Livvi explained. "You've probably heard of him – he's the creator of the Pokémon Transfer System. Anyway, we had to go around and find these power-amplifying jewels for him for various reasons. Richard decided to challenge the gyms while we were out there…" Livvi drew to a sudden stop as she realised that Alicia had suddenly frozen up. "Alicia, are you alright?"

"Huh?" Alicia uttered, slightly louder than was necessary, suddenly snapping back to attention. "Y-Yes, I'm fine!"

"Are you sure?" Livvi asked, a troubled look on her face. "It was like you'd just seen a ghost or something."

"I'm fine, really," Alicia replied. "I just got lost in thought for a second."

"Well, I guess I can understand that," Livvi sighed. "Anyway, why did you decide to set off on a journey, Alicia?"

"A-Ah, that's kind of… I mean, I wanted to challenge the Johto League!" she stammered.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Livvi asked in concern.

"I'm fine!" Alicia quickly assured her.

Livvi gave a her a concerned look through the gloom and gently squeezed her hand. "So, why the Johto League? Because you want to be the very best?"

"Something like that," Alicia replied evasively. She let out a sigh. "I guess I want to prove something to my family…"

"Huh?"

"A-Anyway, that's enough talking for tonight!" Alicia declared. "We need to be up early tomorrow so that we can get back on the road to Azalea Town!" She wriggled her hand free of Livvi's grip and turned over to face the other side of the tent.

"Sorry for keeping you up." Livvi apologised. "Good night."

"Good night. See you in the morning!" Alicia replied.

* * *

 _11:52am, 9_ _th_ _April 2006_

Livvi's hopes for a brighter day had quickly been dashed when she and Alicia had gotten up that morning. If anything, it felt like there were more grey clouds looming in the sky above them. Fortunately, there was no rain, but the lack of sunshine meant a drop in temperature. It had been tolerable while they were in the mountains, but as the two of them suddenly found themselves walking along a coastal path, they became very aware of a strong, freezing breeze blowing in from the sea. Livvi immediately regretted their choice of route, even if this road was the one that would get them to Azalea Town quickest. The extra time taken would be worth staying out of this cold wind!

Even Alicia was feeling the cold, having pulled on the brown hoodie Livvi had given to her on their first night together. That alone wasn't enough to keep the cold out, however, as Livvi could see from the goose bumps on Alicia's thighs. Maybe she would agree to turning back and finding a different route? Should she suggest it? It would be better than attempting to continue on if both of them were miserable. Unfortunately, before Livvi could ask, Alicia spoke up, sounding cheerful and enthusiastic about the prospect of continuing along this route.

"Look down there!" She ran ahead of Livvi and eagerly pointed down to the seafront.

Located in a small bay, a series of wooden pontoon bridges were spread out over the water. They were visibly rocking as they were hit by the choppy waves rolling in from the sea. Despite this, there were a number of people on the pontoons, some standing while others had set up camp chairs to sit in. Most were holding fishing rods and seemed transfixed by the murky grey ocean ahead of them.

"I wonder if there's some kind of event on," Livvi mumbled, watching them. Just the thought of standing on one of the pontoons, exposed to the cold wind and the whims of the ocean, made her shudder.

"Let's go down there and see what they're doing!" Alicia declared, setting off down a nearby staircase which led down to the seafront.

"Ah! Hold on, Alicia!" Livvi cried, chasing after her. "Are you sure you want to do that? Won't it make us later getting to Azalea Town?"

"It's not that much of a detour!" Alicia replied cheerfully, keeping her eyes on her feet as she trotted down the steps. "Besides, I want to find out what they're all doing!"

"Ugh," Livvi muttered, shivering as a particularly cold gust of wind blew past. "I suppose I should follow her…"

There technically wasn't any harm in them stopping off here for a short while. Even if they walked at a very slow pace, it would still get them to Azalea Town far quicker than the alternative routes. But Livvi couldn't help but notice that this particular part of the coast wasn't very sheltered. A part of her had hoped that there was a small village by the pontoons, hidden from her sight by the angle of the cliffs, but that wasn't the case. Aside from the pontoons, the only other sign of human activity was a couple of barren-looking buildings sat on the coast on the far side of the pontoons.

"Oh, you two must be trainers off on your journey!" As Alicia and Livvi stepped onto the pontoon connected to the north side of the bay, a man standing by the side closer to the ocean greeted them cheerfully. "On your way to Azalea Town?"

"That's right!" Alicia nodded. She looked curiously at the man's fishing rod. "Are you… fishing?"

"That's what you normally do with a fishing rod, yes!" The man laughed jovially.

"There seems to be a lot of you around," Livvi said, looking around at the other people on the pontoons. A lot of them, mostly men, were dressed similarly to this man, wearing tough outdoor clothes and heavy-looking caps. However, there were also a number of trainers like themselves, all armed with fishing rods and with a stock of empty poké balls by their sides. "Is there something going on?"

"This place always gets busy around this time of year," the man replied. "The name's Ralph, by the way!"

"Pleased to meet you." Alicia and Livvi quickly introduced themselves as well.

"So, I guess this must be a pretty good fishing spot if so many people have gathered here," Livvi said.

"You could say that," Ralph replied. "Really, though, it's popular because it's easy to learn how to fish here – current isn't too strong, conditions don't get much worse than today, pokémon are plentiful. And it's on the quickest route from Violet City to Azalea Town too, so lots of trainers come down here every April."

"I guess it would get busy around this time," Livvi murmured. She shuddered as another cold breeze blew past. Though the rocking of the pontoons was obvious at a distance, now that she was stood on them she could hardly feel the rocking at all. She was about to excuse herself and Alicia from Ralph so that they could get back on the road, when Alicia suddenly piped up.

"I've never fished for pokémon before! It sounds like fun!"

"I tell you, there's nothing quite like catching a pokémon you've hauled up from the ocean yourself!" Ralph grinned at her. "If you want to give it a go, there's plenty of space around here!"

"Ah, but I don't have a fishing rod…" Alicia replied dejectedly.

"You don't need to worry about that!" Ralph cried. He reached into the large box by his feet and pulled out a battered-looking fishing rod. "It's a little old, but this will still be strong enough to withstand most pokémon," he said as he handed it to her.

"Thank you!" Alicia cried, taking it. She immediately started extending it and marched merrily along the pontoon to find a good spot to set up.

"I've got another spare one here, if you wanted one as well." Ralph offered another rod to Livvi.

"Thanks." She took the rod. Not that she was particularly enthused by the idea of trying to fish while it was cold out, but she recognised that Alicia had now set her heart on trying to catch something. She might as well take part as well.

"By the way, you can have this bait too." Ralph offered her some bait. "Alicia's enthusiasm aside, she'll probably struggle to catch anything without this!"

"Thanks," Livvi said again. "I'll make sure we return the rods and any bait we don't use when we're done." She turned and walked over to join Alicia, who had set up camp at the end of one of the pontoons. She was about to cast her line, but Livvi quickly called out to stop her.

"What is it?" she asked as Livvi caught up.

"You need some bait first!" Livvi offered the tub full of bait to her.

"Ah! I completely forgot!" Alicia's face turned red. "Thanks!"

"Have you ever fished before?" Livvi asked as she took some bait and attached it to her hook.

"No." Alicia shook her head. "But it should be quite simple, right?"

"I think it'll probably be a bit trickier than you're thinking," Livvi sighed. She cast her now-baited line into the water with a small splash that was barely audible over the wind and waves. Beside her, Alicia did the same thing. The two of them remained silent and stared at the point where their lines reached the water's surface.

"…Now what?" Alicia asked.

"I, uh, guess we just wait until something bites," Livvi replied. She kind of wished that she'd had the forethought to get out their camp chairs.

"I'd better stay alert then!" Alicia grinned. "That way I'll be ready the moment something grabs on!"

"Can you hold my fishing rod for a second?" Livvi asked, suddenly deciding that the camp chairs were going to be an absolute necessity.

"Huh? Sure!" Alicia took the rod as Livvi shrugged off her bag and started rummaging around inside. She smiled happily. "I hope something bites soon!"

* * *

 _2:31pm, 9_ _th_ _April 2006_

"…" Alicia was continuing to stare resolutely at her line.

Livvi watched her with a mixture of interest and despair. They'd been sitting on the pontoon for hours now, all the progress towards Azalea Town Livvi had hoped to get was withering away with each passing second. Twenty minutes before, she had attempted to gently persuade Alicia that she wasn't going to catch anything and that it would be better if they got moving again.

However, Alicia had insisted on waiting for longer, not once looking away from the water. A part of Livvi was starting to wonder if she was going to have to leave her here and press on ahead, though she'd never seriously consider doing that.

Around them, other trainers had had mixed successes. One of the trainers nearby had garnered a number of modest captures, though all but one of the pokémon he'd caught had been released back into the wild. Others had also managed to capture a few pokémon, while there were others who remained disappointed. It was easy to tell who was having luck with the fish, as the loud splashing as a pokémon was hauled out of the water at once drew the attention of all the other trainers on the pontoons.

Though she'd baited her line and watched it for a while, Livvi had quickly become bored and reeled it in again with no captures. She doubted that Alicia had even noticed that she'd stopped. Instead, she'd been studying the map and occasionally reacting to the sounds of another trainer capturing a pokémon. Perhaps she'd go and return her rod to Ralph. That would kill maybe three minutes.

However, the moment she stood up, Alicia immediately spoke. "Huh? Are you going somewhere, Livvi?"

"Ah, yeah," Livvi replied. To be honest, she was surprised that Alicia had noticed her. She'd hardly made a sound while standing up and Alicia was still focusing on the water. In fact, her only movement had been her mouth. "I was thinking of returning my rod to Ralph since I'm not using it."

"Well, you did stop fishing a while ago," Alicia sighed. "I want to give it a little longer, but I'll probably stop soon as well."

"Sure." Livvi started walking off down the pontoon towards Ralph.

"No luck, huh?" he asked as she drew close. "That's the way it is sometimes."

"It's okay," Livvi replied. "Thanks for lending me the rod."

"You're welcome." Ralph took the rod and put it back in his box. "It looks like it's been a mixed day all round."

"I wonder if there's something up today that's making fish harder to find..?" Livvi sighed.

"Well, nature works in mysterious ways sometimes." Ralph grinned at her. "Is your friend still going?"

"Yeah…" Livvi began.

All of a sudden, there was a shout from further down the pontoon.

"Livvi! Livvi! I've got something!"

"You have?!" Livvi raced back down the pontoon to join Alicia, who was attempting to reel in her line as whatever was on the end thrashed around. "Do you need help?"

"Y-Yes please!" Alicia cried, struggling to keep her grip on the rod.

Livvi quickly joined her and pulled with all her might. Together, they slowly managed to reel the line in until the pokémon broke the surface.

"It's…" Livvi gasped, looking over as the pokémon erupted from the water. The dopey eyes and gaping mouth of a magikarp looked back at her. "…Such a disappointment."

"Magikarp? That pokémon that's famous for being useless?" Alicia pulled out her Pokédex and pointed it at the orange fish.

" _Magikarp, the fish pok_ _émon. Magikarp are virtually useless in battle as they can only splash around. As a result, they are considered to be weak. However, they are actually very hardy pokémon that can survive in any body of water no matter how polluted it is._ "

"Right!" Alicia put her Pokédex away and pulled out an empty poké ball.

"Huh? You're going to catch it?!" Livvi cried.

"You want me to throw back the only pokémon I've hooked up today?!" Alicia cried in response, guessing her implication.

"W-Well, it's your choice after all…" Livvi muttered. "Ah! But don't forget to battle it first to weaken it!"

"R-Right! I completely forgot!" Alicia pulled out another poké ball. "Go, Ruo!"

The chikorita sprang out of the ball and landed with a soft thud on the pontoon.

"Use Razor Leaf!" Alicia ordered.

Ruo nodded and shot a cluster of leaves at the failing magikarp, easily scoring some direct hits. At Alicia's prompting, he fired another wave of leaves. The magikarp attempted to dodge by going underwater, but Livvi held tight to the rod and prevented it from slipping out of sight.

"Try throwing a poké ball now!" Livvi called.

"Got it!" Alicia took aim with the empty poké ball. "Go!" she shouted, throwing it with all her might.

Plop!

There was a quiet splash as the ball hit the water a short distance away from the thrashing magikarp.

"…How could you miss at a time like this?!" Livvi exclaimed, digging in her heels to keep the magikarp at the surface. Useless in battle though it might be, this pokémon was taking all her strength to fight.

"I-I'm sorry!" Alicia cried. "I'm just not good at doing this sort of thing in front of people!" Of course, most of the other trainers had been watching.

"Gah! Fine!" Livvi reached out and grabbed the next poké ball Alicia had pulled out. Focusing her attention on the magikarp, she took aim and threw. The ball arced through the air before striking the fish pokémon directly on the head. As it was sucked inside, Livvi almost fell over backwards with the sudden release of the fishing rod. The ball splashed into the water and floated on the surface, rolling around until the red light stopped flashing and a small burst of sparks.

Livvi let out a sigh of relief as Alicia walked over to the edge of the pontoon and scooped the poké ball out of the water. Drying it on her skirt, she offered it to Livvi.

"Well, um, congratulations!"

"Huh?" Livvi stared at it for a couple of seconds as Alicia pushed it into her hands. Around them, some of the other trainers had broken into applause. "Eh? Ah! Wait!" She quickly pushed the ball back into Alicia's hands. "I don't want it! You're the one who hooked it up!"

"B-But you're the one who caught her, aren't you?" Alicia gave her a confused look.

"Yeah, but it was your poké ball," Livvi replied. She let out a sigh. "And you're the one who decided to catch it."

"I-If it's really alright then…" Alicia looked at the ball and smiled at the pokémon inside. "I'm going to call her 'Saffa'."

"'Her'?"

"Yeah!" Alicia nodded. "I'm pretty confident when it comes to telling a pokémon's gender at a glance. Besides..." She released Saffa from her poké ball and, amidst her flopping around on the pontoon, pointed to the two long whiskers trailing down from either side of her head. "Do you see how these are white? If this were a male magikarp, then they'd be yellow instead."

"Ah! Interesting!" Livvi nodded as Alicia recalled Saffa again. "Anyway, you managed to catch a pokémon by fishing it up. Are you happy to get moving again now?"

"Sure!" Alicia nodded. "I'll take my rod and the bait back to Ralph!"

As she hurried off, Livvi pulled out one of her poké balls and released the pokémon inside. Blinking and looking around briefly, Salea the blissey turned to Livvi questioningly.

"Can you get that poké ball out of the water?" Livvi asked, pointing at the discarded one from Alicia's earlier attempt. "Seems like a good opportunity to practise using Psychic."

Salea nodded. Her eyes glowed a light blue colour as the ball was suddenly levitated out of the water and into the air. Though wobbling slightly as it was carried, Salea carried it back to the pontoon without dropping it once.

"Great work, Salea!" Livvi grinned as she finished packing up the rest of their stuff. She patted Salea on the head and recalled her to her poké ball before picking up the discarded ball and heading over to meet up with Alicia. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, I'm ready!" Alicia nodded eagerly.

They both thanked Ralph again for all his help, before turning and walking across the bay on the pontoons to continue their journey towards Azalea Town.

* * *

 **So, a new pokémon and some new moves for existing ones. I'm sure that Saffa will be a worthy addition to Alicia's team...probably. I also took the opportunity to sort of go more in Alicia's background, something which was sorely lacking up to this point.**

 **Anyway, as ever, feel free to leave any feedback you have for me.**

 **Until next time!**

* * *

 **Team Listings:**

 **Livvi Weston:**

 **Active:**

 **Barru** (Bulbasaur): male, timid, highly persistent, likes sweet food, grass-poison type, Overgrow ability, knows Tackle, Sludge Bomb, Solar Beam and Leech Seed.

 **Cylune** (Venomoth): male, modest, proud of its power, likes dry food, poison-bug type, Shield Dust ability, knows Stun Spore, Psychic, Toxic and Silver Wind.

 **Evoro** (Eevee): male, jolly, alert to sounds, likes sweet food, normal type, Adaptability ability, knows Bite, Double Team, Take Down and Quick Attack.

 **Salea** (Blissey): female, gentle, somewhat vain, likes bitter food, normal type, Natural Cure ability, knows Softboiled, Psychic, Double Slap and Egg Bomb.

 **Tavro** (Hypno): male, quirky, loves to eat, eats anything, psychic type, Forewarn ability, knows Psychic, Hypnosis, Future Sight and Headbutt.

 **Litine** (Marill): female, mild, good endurance, likes dry food, water type, Thick Fat ability, knows Defence Curl, Tail Whip, Water Gun and Rollout.

 **In Viridian City:**

 **Dorru** (Nidorina): female, quiet, mischievous, likes dry food, poison type, Rivalry ability, knows Fury Swipes, Double Kick, Poison Sting and Crunch.

 **Alicia Law:**

 **Active:**

 **Ruo** (Chikorita): male, naughty, often dozes off, likes spicy food, grass type, Overgrow ability, knows Tackle, Poison Powder, Razor Leaf and Reflect.

 **Pari** (Dunsparce): male, quirky, likes to thrash about, eats anything, normal type, Serene Grace ability, knows Rage, Defence Curl and Yawn.

 **Saffa** (Magikarp): female, rash, often lost in thought, likes dry food, water type, Swift Swim ability, knows Splash.


	5. Bugging Out

**Hello and welcome to another chapter of** _ **Pokémon Journey: Livvi's Johto Scrapbook**_ **!**

 **Last chapter saw Livvi and Alicia stop by a popular fishing spot on their way towards Azalea Town, with the two of them working together to catch… a magikarp.**

 **Their journey now takes them on towards Azalea Town, where the next Johto gym lies.**

 **Upload Date: 7** **th** **June 2017**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Bugging Out**

 _Azalea Town, Johto_

 _6:34pm, 11_ _th_ _April 2006_

"Looks like we finally made it," Alicia sighed.

"Yeah," Livvi muttered bitterly.

The two of them hauled themselves over the boundary and into the outskirts of Azalea Town. The endless hammering of rain accompanied them as the cold drops of water continued pelting them. Yet the lights of Azalea Town were warm and welcoming and, with the sun having already set, they could no longer see the gloomy dark clouds that had covered the sky all day.

Livvi was frustrated with herself. She and Alicia had arrived at the coast after following a mountainous inland route and found themselves in a small village. It had been the late afternoon, it had been raining, and both girls were worn out after that day's trekking. But, stupidly, she'd asked at the pokémon centre how far it was to Azalea Town. Only about an hour or so, she was told. It was only in the next bay along, after all.

So, caught up in the exhilaration of being so close to their goal, she and Alicia had stupidly decided to continue walking on to Azalea Town rather than stopping for the night.

As it turned out, the route was a little bit longer than they'd anticipated. Their clothes were soaked and they were wet and cold. The sun had been setting when they'd left the last village, and they'd watched the sky grow darker and darker as they walked. Once the last of the sunlight had faded, they'd had the lights of Azalea Town in the distance to guide them, but needed their own torch to help them avoid hazards on the road.

Still, they had finally arrived in Azalea Town, and Livvi was more than willing to put all of that day's experiences behind her. The sooner they were inside the warm pokémon centre and were able to change into dry clothes the better.

"I was surprised it took us so long to get here," Alicia sighed as they walked through the town. "The way the lady in the last town described it, I thought we'd walk around the corner and be in Azalea Town."

"Sorry," Livvi said apologetically, looking at her. "I shouldn't have insisted on continuing to Azalea Town."

"It's not your fault." Alicia smiled back at her. "I thought it would be stupid not to try and get that little bit further." She seemed a little breathless and, though she was trying to hide it, it was obvious that she was shivering from the cold.

"How are you feeling?" Livvi asked.

"A little tired and cold," Alicia admitted. "But nothing to worry about. I can keep going!"

"'Keeping going isn't really the issue anymore," Livvi replied, frowning. "I don't want you to catch a cold."

"I'll be fine! I'll have a nice, warm bath as soon as we get to the pokémon centre!" Alicia grinned.

That sounded like a good idea.

After all the cold and the rain, a warm bath would be perfect. She might even have to fight Alicia over it!

* * *

 _8:58pm, 11_ _th_ _April 2006_

Alicia emerged from the bathroom, still rubbing her hair with her towel after her bath. The warmth had returned to her bones after the cold journey into Azalea Town.

"The bath's all yours," she said, lowering the towel and shaking out her orangey-brown hair.

Livvi, lying on her bunk, looked over at her. Though they'd been travelling together for a while now, it still surprised her a little when she saw Alicia with her hair down instead of tied up in pigtails. She wondered if Alicia felt the same way about her when she took her hair out of its ponytail.

"Hmm?" Alicia gave her a questioning smile.

"…I was just wondering what you're planning to do about your gym battle here," Livvi replied, switching back to what she'd been thinking about before. "I mean, if Falkner's gym allowed tag battles, then I guess the one here does as well…"

"…"

A troubled look crossed Alicia's face. It didn't take an expert to work out what she was thinking. Livvi had made it clear around the time of the gym battle in Violet City that she'd eventually need to fight battles by herself. It wasn't that Livvi didn't want to fight alongside her: once they got to the league, they'd need to fight apart, or even against each other. She needed to become an independent battler before then.

But at the same time, it was still early on and Alicia hadn't exactly been graced with much luck as far as new team members were concerned. As much as she loved Saffa, she hadn't been able to deny that she wasn't going to be that useful in the gym battle. And battling together with a more experienced trainer would also give her a better opportunity to learn as they fought.

"You want to fight the gym leader here together too?" Livvi asked with a knowing smile as Alicia fidgeted.

"Yeah…" Alicia mumbled in response. "I know that I need to start fighting battle alone, but…"

"It's okay. I was thinking that you'd need more time to get used to battling anyway." Livvi pulled herself up and stretched her arms above her head. "Besides, fighting together as a team has its advantages."

"Thanks." Alicia looked down and smiled gratefully. "I'll feel better with you there."

"So, I was thinking we should head down to the gym tomorrow morning to book a slot for the battle," Livvi said as she walked over towards Alicia. "One in the afternoon, ideally, so that we can spend the rest of the morning training."

"That sounds like a good idea to me." Alicia nodded.

"Glad to hear it!" Livvi grinned at her as she stepped into the bathroom doorway. "Once I'm done in the bath, do you want to talk tactics?"

"Yeah!" Alicia nodded eagerly.

Livvi disappeared into the bathroom, the door closing behind her. She was looking forward to getting clean after the long day they'd had.

* * *

 _10:12am, 12_ _th_ _April 2006_

Azalea Town felt completely different to how it had the previous evening. Admittedly, it was nice to actually see the town. It had already been dark by the time they'd arrived and they'd been too preoccupied with the rain and their own exhaustion to worry about their surroundings.

Today, however, with the brilliant sunshine and cool breeze, the quaint town felt like a nice and relaxed place. Azalea felt like a very traditional place, all old-fashioned, wooden buildings. Odd as it may have sounded, the wood gave off a nice smell – it made Livvi feel oddly nostalgic. There was also the distant smell of smoke in the air, but it wasn't oppressive.

Having gotten up early, Livvi and Alicia had gone straight to the Azalea gym, arriving just before it opened for the day. They'd booked a slot for their gym battle. As expected, there hadn't been a problem with the two of them fighting the gym battle as a team.

The battle wasn't until much later on, almost the evening in fact, so there was more than enough time for the two girls to train beforehand. They'd ended up finding a practice arena not too far from the pokémon centre, surrounded by nice scenery and close to medical help should their pokémon need it.

"Go, Pari!" Alicia shouted, pointing at Salea as Pari started charging forwards for an attack.

"Too easy!" Livvi grinned. "Use Psychic!"

Salea lifted Pari easily into the air and hurled him back.

"You're not using that move Salea learned earlier?" Alicia asked.

"It seems a bit excessive for practice," Livvi replied hesitantly. "And we had managed to more or less use it properly earlier, so…"

"I just thought that it would be good to practise it as much as possible," Alicia replied. "But then, I guess you aren't going to be using Salea in the gym battle, are you?"

A quick glance around the lobby of the Azalea gym had left no doubt in Livvi's mind about what kind of pokémon they used. If the forest theme hadn't been enough, the countless pictures of bug pokémon made their opponents obvious. Despite that, neither Livvi nor Alicia had a pokémon with an advantage over bug types. It left the exact composition of their team undecided.

"I suppose we can give it one more shot," Livvi sighed. "Salea isn't weak to bug types, so she could fight in the gym battle."

"Alright! We're ready when you are!" Alicia called.

Livvi nodded at Salea. "Use Double-Edge!"

The blissey immediately charged at Pari with a powerful tackle. With a loud slam, the dunsparce was hurled back towards Alicia. Though Pari was clearly reeling from the force of the attack, Salea was also wincing in pain. It was an attack that meant throwing everything at the opponent with no thought to the user's wellbeing. Hence Livvi's reservations about using it.

"Is Pari okay?" she asked in concern as she pulled out a potion and walked over to Salea.

"I think so," Alicia replied, spraying a potion of her own onto the dunsparce. "It really is a powerful attack!"

"Yeah." Livvi nodded hesitantly. "Perhaps a little too powerful…"

Still, that power would be handy if she ever found herself in a tough spot. While Salea wasn't good at defending herself from attacks, her endurance was astounding. Despite the self-inflicted damage from her attack, she had taken scarcely a second to recover.

"Have you decided who you're going to use?" Alicia asked.

"Hmm." Livvi gave it some serious thought. She was struck by the irony that the only gym battle she'd fought so far had been with Litine, the latest addition to her team. It was time for her original team to get a share of the glory.

That left open the question of who to pick. Tavro still wouldn't listen to her in battle, while she was worried that Barru and Cylune wouldn't be able to make much headway against bug types. That left her with Evoro or Salea. The latter had the more powerful moves and had better endurance.

Well, she still had a while left to decide.

* * *

 _4:35pm, 12_ _th_ _April 2006_

If the lobby of the Azalea gym had had a forest theme, the main arena felt as though they'd walked into an actual forest. The glass roof meant that the room itself was very bright, though the relative density of the vegetation (real trees, as it turned out) meant that it was still gloomy at ground level.

The arena itself was well-lit and covered with grass. The whole room smelled of nature in a way that was partly refreshing and partly overpowering. It was clear that a lot of effort had gone into the arena here, though all Livvi could think about was the fact that a fire type pokémon would cause all kinds of chaos in here.

As Livvi and Alicia took their positions in the challenger's corner, a young boy with lavender hair, outdoor clothes and carrying a bug-catching net over his shoulder stood opposite them.

"It's not that often that I get trainers challenging my gym as a team! Should be interesting!" he called. "My name's Bugsy! I'm the leader of the Azalea gym!"

"What rules are we going to be using?" Livvi asked.

"Two pokémon per side," Bugsy replied. "One each from you two, two from me."

"Alright!" Livvi nodded. Beside her, Alicia pulled out her poké ball.

"This is an official Johto League gym battle between Bugsy, the Azalea Town gym leader, and the challengers, Alicia Law from Cherrygrove City and Olivia Weston from Viridian City!" the referee announced. "The match will be fought using a two-on-two double battle format and will be over when one side has no pokémon left who can battle. Neither side may substitute pokémon during this battle!" He looked between the trainers. "Are you all ready?"

Bugsy, Livvi and Alicia all nodded.

"Begin!"

"Go, Salea!" Livvi called. She tossed out a poké ball.

"Go, Pari!" Alicia threw out the dunsparce's poké ball.

The two pokémon burst out of their poké balls and landed softly on the grass. Opposite them, a small, green spider and a tall, mantis-like pokémon emerged from Bugsy's poké balls.

"What are they?" Alicia pulled out her Pokédex.

" _Spinarak, the string spit pokémon. The web spun by a spinarak can be considered its second nervous system. It is said that these pokémon can determine what kind of prey is touching their web just by the tiny vibrations they feel through the web's strands. They lie still in the same pose for days in their web, waiting for their unsuspecting prey to wander close._ "

That was the first pokémon, the spider-like one. Alicia quickly moved her Pokédex to scan the other one.

" _Scyther, the mantis pokémon. Scyther are blindingly fast. Their blazing speed enhances the effectiveness of the twin scythes on their forearms. These pokémon's scythes are so effective, they can slice through thick logs in one wicked stroke. With ninja-like agility and speed, a scyther can create the illusion that there is more than one of them._ "

"It sounds like we're going to have a tough battle ahead of us," Livvi sighed. She turned to Alicia. "I'll focus on defence. You go on the attack as much as you can!"

"Got it!" Alicia nodded. "Use Rage!"

Pari immediately charged forwards, despite the confusion over which opponent he was supposed to be attacking. He decided on Spinarak and bounced forwards quickly. However, Spinarak immediately made moves to fire a string of web at Pari. The instant before it was launched, the bug type was suddenly lifted into the air, a blue aura surrounding him.

As he crashed to the ground, Pari began his final leap, only for Scyther to race in from the side and slash at the dunsparce's flank.

"Use Fury Cutter again!" Bugsy ordered.

As Spinarak struggled to pull himself back up, Scyther raised his arm and prepared to slice at Pari.

"Use Egg Bomb!" Livvi shouted.

Salea hurled an egg through the air. It exploded at it hit Scyther, knocking him back.

"Is Pari okay?" Livvi asked Alicia. "Do you want us to use Softboiled?"

"I think we're okay at the moment," Alicia replied. "Thanks."

"Use Poison Sting!" Bugsy called to Spinarak.

The spider scuttled forwards. As Pari prepared to face his attack, however, he raced past and jabbed Salea with a stinger. The blissey flinched in pain before hurling an egg at the spider in response, though the latter quickly darted out of danger.

Pari, meanwhile, was struggling under Scyther's next attack. He narrowly dodged one slash, but was grazed by a second. As he pulled back, he looked to Alicia for directions.

"Use Defence Curl!" she called after a second of thinking.

Pari quickly tucked himself up, but was still hurled back by the next attack. He landed with a thud, but wriggled back up. Scyther leapt towards him again, determined to keep up the pressure. Salea, meanwhile, was tied up with the fight with Spinarak.

Alicia thought fast and issued her next order. "Use Yawn!"

Pari immediately yawned loudly as Scyther bore down on him. It wasn't enough to stop the attack, but, as the dunsparce was thrown back again, he started to look increasingly drowsy.

"Use Softboiled!" Livvi called as Pari landed.

Salea immediately broke off from Spinarak and dashed over to Pari. She pulled out her egg and cracked it open before feeding the contents to him.

"Thanks, Livvi!" Alicia called. As she spotted Spinarak preparing to attack Salea from behind, she immediately shouted to Pari. "Use Rage!"

Pari shot forwards and slammed into Spinarak, knocking him back. As the two of them toppled to the ground, Scyther leapt forwards to try and slash at Salea, only to stagger and fall forwards as he fell asleep.

"Use String Shot!" Bugsy called to Spinarak. "Wake up, Scyther!" he added, calling out to the sleeping pokémon.

Though Scyther failed to react, Spinarak was quick to spin out a web and hurl it in Pari and Salea's directions. The two were quickly entangled in the sticky threads.

"What should we do?" Alicia asked Livvi.

"We've got a bit of time," Livvi replied. "Spinarak isn't powerful enough to defeat both Pari and Salea, and Scyther is going to be out of it for a while."

"We still need to get free from the String Shot though," Alicia replied.

"I'll leave that to you!" Livvi grinned. "I'll handle Spinarak!"

"Got it!" Alicia nodded eagerly. She turned to Pari. "Keep struggling until you pull yourself free!"

"Use Psychic on Spinarak!" Livvi shouted.

Salea's eyes lit up as she lifted Spinarak into the air. The bug type, however, was unwilling to go down without a fight this time. He fired a cluster of purple spines at his foe. They scored multiple hits on Salea, each injecting poison into her body. She finished throwing him to the ground, the loud thud marking the end of his role in the battle.

"Spinarak is unable to battle!" The referee confirmed Spinarak's exit.

At that moment, Livvi heard Alicia gasp in surprise.

Pari had suddenly been struck from behind by Scyther, slashing at him with scythes that glowed a lime green colour. The sleeping pokémon suddenly disappeared. A double!

"Keep using Fury Cutter!" Bugsy called, grinning confidently as he recalled Spinarak.

Scyther slashed at Pari another two times in quick succession, before either he could recover or Alicia could react. He slammed to the ground heavily and lay motionless.

"Dunsparce is unable to battle!" the referee announced.

Bugsy and Scyther weren't finished yet though. Scyther spun around and immediately leapt at Salea. He slashed her twice, destroying what was left of Spinarak's web and sending her stumbling back.

"Use Softboiled!" Livvi called.

"Use Fury Cutter!" Bugsy ordered.

As Salea pulled out her egg, Scyther stormed forwards and slashed at Salea's outstretched arm. Livvi and the blissey both gasped as the egg went flying off into the undergrowth.

Before they'd even had a chance to register it fully, Scyther leapt forwards again, slashing at Salea again.

"…" Alicia watched Livvi with concern as she recalled Pari. She wanted to say something, but could tell that Livvi was focusing hard on recovering the initiative.

However, losing the egg was a major problem. Without it, she couldn't heal herself and it would be much harder to use Egg Bomb. Worse, Scyther's attacks seemed to get stronger with each hit. If they weren't careful, it wouldn't take long for Salea to reach the limits of her endurance.

"Use Psychic!" Livvi shouted.

Salea attempted to lift Scyther into the air, but he tore into her with another slash, breaking her concentration and knocking her back.

"L-Livvi! You should use _that_ attack!" Alicia cried.

Livvi bit her lip. She didn't really want to use it, but it really was looking like there was no other choice. She took a deep breath. "Salea, use Double-Edge!"

As Scyther closed in on her, Salea charged forwards and slammed into him. A wave of air blasted out around them from the force of the impact. Scyther was hurled back, caught off-guard by the sudden counter attack.

"Quick, find your egg!" Livvi called desperately to Salea.

"Wait! You can pick it up using Psychic!" Alicia cried.

"R-Right!" Livvi nodded. "Use Psychic!"

Salea's eyes lit up as she quickly scanned for her egg. Locating it, she levitated it up. It rushed through the air towards her as Scyther pulled himself up and charged back in her direction.

"Use Slash!" Bugsy ordered.

"Use Egg Bomb!" Livvi yelled.

Salea reached out and grabbed the egg. Lashing herself around, she threw the egg as Scyther raised his scythe. There was an explosion and both pokémon were thrown back. They landed with a crash on the grass, though only one of them was able to get back up.

"Scyther is unable to battle!" the referee announced. "Both of the gym leader's pokémon are unable to battle, so this match goes to the challengers, Alicia Law and Olivia Weston!"

"We did it." Livvi let out the breath she'd been holding and smiled at Salea.

"We did it!" Alicia cheered, diving towards Livvi and throwing her arms around her.

"Return, Scyther." Bugsy recalled his fallen pokémon. "I was certain I had you once we'd knocked away your blissey's egg. I guess I was a little too confident!" He walked over towards them and produced two red and black badges shaped like the back of an insect. "This is the Hive Badge. Take them – you've earned them!"

"Thanks, Bugsy." Livvi and Alicia both took the badges and smiled at each other.

* * *

 _5:02pm, 12_ _th_ _April 2006_

The two girls left the Azalea gym and started walking back in the direction of the pokémon centre. It had been a long day and they were looking forward to having a well-deserved rest.

"I really thought it was over when Salea's egg got knocked away!" Livvi said. "Talk about close!"

"Yeah." Alicia nodded. "It looked really tense for a while."

"I think he tried to catch us off-guard by having us knock his pokémon around at the start," Livvi sighed. "I did think that it seemed to be going a little _too_ easily."

"Yeah…" Alicia gazed off into the distance. It seemed like she was thinking about something.

"You okay?" Livvi asked.

Alicia took a deep breath. "I think I'm ready to start fighting gym battles by myself now," she said. "Or rather, I think I need to. I think I've been relying on you too much and not contributing enough to the battles."

"Well, I wanted you to start fighting battles by yourself sooner or later," Livvi began. "But I think you're selling yourself a bit short."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that you really helped out against Bugsy," Livvi explained. "Pari might have been knocked out, but you were the one who pointed out Double-Edge and using Psychic to recover Salea's egg. We'd have lost the battle if you hadn't helped!"

"Y-You mean it?" Alicia's face lit up.

"Yeah!" Livvi nodded. "You've got what it takes to win battles by yourself!"

"Yay! Livvi complimented me!" Alicia beamed at her as she grabbed hold of her arm and clung to it happily.

"So, what do you want to eat tonight?" Livvi asked. "I thought we could try and find a restaurant to celebrate earning our second badges. Anywhere you want to go in particular?"

"Hmm." Alicia pondered for a couple of seconds. "I'm happy with wherever you want to go."

"You know, you could contribute more to the decision-making," Livvi sighed. But she smiled. "Let's have a look at what's in town once we're back at the pokémon centre."

"Sure!" Alicia beamed at her as they continued walking.

* * *

 **Another gym battle down and a new move for Salea. I wanted to give Livvi's old Kanto team a chance to shine in a gym battle, though the way tag battles work meant that I could only give one of them the spotlight. Hopefully, there'll be more opportunities for the rest of them in future gym battles!**

 **Anyway, I'm sorry I haven't been responding to reviews and PMs recently. This week has been pretty busy for me so far. I'm busy all day tomorrow as well since I'm working in the UK general election, but I'll try and get around to drafting responses on Friday.**

 **As ever, feel free to leave me any feedback you have on this chapter.**

 **Until next time!**

* * *

 **Team Listings:**

 **Livvi Weston:**

 **Active:**

 **Barru** (Bulbasaur): male, timid, highly persistent, likes sweet food, grass-poison type, Overgrow ability, knows Tackle, Sludge Bomb, Solar Beam and Leech Seed.

 **Cylune** (Venomoth): male, modest, proud of its power, likes dry food, poison-bug type, Shield Dust ability, knows Stun Spore, Psychic, Toxic and Silver Wind.

 **Evoro** (Eevee): male, jolly, alert to sounds, likes sweet food, normal type, Adaptability ability, knows Bite, Double Team, Take Down and Quick Attack.

 **Salea** (Blissey): female, gentle, somewhat vain, likes bitter food, normal type, Natural Cure ability, knows Softboiled, Psychic, Double-Edge and Egg Bomb.

 **Tavro** (Hypno): male, quirky, loves to eat, eats anything, psychic type, Forewarn ability, knows Psychic, Hypnosis, Future Sight and Headbutt.

 **Litine** (Marill): female, mild, good endurance, likes dry food, water type, Thick Fat ability, knows Defence Curl, Tail Whip, Water Gun and Rollout.

 **In Viridian City:**

 **Dorru** (Nidorina): female, quiet, mischievous, likes dry food, poison type, Rivalry ability, knows Fury Swipes, Double Kick, Poison Sting and Crunch.

 **Alicia Law:**

 **Active:**

 **Ruo** (Chikorita): male, naughty, often dozes off, likes spicy food, grass type, Overgrow ability, knows Tackle, Poison Powder, Razor Leaf and Reflect.

 **Pari** (Dunsparce): male, quirky, likes to thrash about, eats anything, normal type, Serene Grace ability, knows Rage, Defence Curl and Yawn.

 **Saffa** (Magikarp): female, rash, often lost in thought, likes dry food, water type, Swift Swim ability, knows Splash.


	6. Ilex Forest

**Hello and welcome to another chapter of** _ **Pokémon Journey: Livvi's Johto Scrapbook**_ **!**

 **Last chapter saw Livvi and Alicia win their second Johto League gym badges together through some excellent teamwork. The girls now turn their attention to the foreboding Ilex Forest.**

 **Upload Date: 31** **st** **July 2017**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Ilex Forest**

 _Azalea Town, Johto_

 _10:56am, 13_ _th_ _April 2006_

"All set?"

"Yeah!"

Livvi looked around their room in the Azalea pokémon centre one more time before stepping outside and closing the door behind her. Alicia was already heading for the stairs, her over-filled backpack on her back. A part of Livvi felt a little bit guilty – with the obstacle that now lay ahead of them, she'd insisted on stocking up on supplies. They both had a lot more weight to carry today.

Livvi felt that her precautions were well-founded. West of Azalea Town lay Ilex Forest, a mysterious and confusing expanse of dense forest and foreboding mountains. Her town map had plenty of warnings about the place and it reminded her a lot of Viridian Forest, a natural maze near her hometown. She'd gotten lost in there not long after starting her journey the previous year and wasn't in a hurry to forget it.

To Alicia's credit, she was taking the additional burden with a smile on her face and a spring in her step. Quite how long she'd be able to keep that up, however, was another matter entirely.

"Just to remind you again," Livvi began as they reached the lobby. "We need to be extra careful going through Ilex Forest. It won't be like ordinary routes."

"Got it!" Alicia nodded enthusiastically as Livvi handed their key back in to the receptionist.

"You sure?" Livvi couldn't shake off the feeling that she wasn't taking things seriously. She'd seemed a little dizzy with happiness ever since the end of their gym battle the previous day.

"Of course!" Alicia nodded again. "I'm not planning on wandering off on my own, so there won't be any problems!"

"Ugh. Your confidence is what's making me the most nervous," Livvi sighed. Though Alicia might have been clear on her intentions, Livvi couldn't shake off the feeling that things would change if she saw a wild pokémon that interested her. If she lost focus, it would be very easy for them to get separated.

A part of her wondered if she should suggest holding hands to make sure they didn't get separated, but she didn't want the younger girl to feel like she was treating her like a child.

"Anyway, let's go!" Alicia declared, striding confidently through the automatic doors and out into the warm, sunny day outside.

Livvi shook her head to dispel her doubts. Everything would be fine. There was no reason to assume that Alicia would do anything unpredictable. As long as she kept track of their position on the map, they'd make it through the forest with no problems whatsoever. And she didn't want to stop Alicia from catching new pokémon either.

"Alright!" She grinned at her companion. "Let's get going!"

* * *

 _Ilex Forest, Johto_

 _12:43pm, 13_ _th_ _April 2006_

The murky shadows of the forest added to the sinister atmosphere as Livvi and Alicia travelled along the narrow paths. It wasn't just the forest that they had to worry about either. Every now and again, they had to change direction as they ran into moss-covered cliff faces and steep, tree-lined slopes leading up mountains.

A lot of the paths looked exactly the same and, often, the only indicator of which way it led was an old, weather-beaten wooden sign. The two of them had walked away along one path particularly quickly when a rotten wooden sign had disintegrated after Alicia had touched it.

The eerie atmosphere was made worse by the absolute absence of any wild pokémon. Incredible as it seemed, they hadn't seen any for most of the day. It had made Livvi feel uneasy, as if they were venturing somewhere they weren't allowed. However, it was a mixed fortune indeed when Alicia suddenly spotted a paras scuttling across the path in front of them. A very brief battle had seen the wild pokémon flee quickly along another path, with Alicia quick to give pursuit.

"Alicia! Wait!" Livvi shouted as she ran along the path. In the chaos, she'd temporarily lost sight of Alicia and Ruo as they'd sprinted through the forest, but the loud noises as she crashed through undergrowth made it easy to follow her.

Livvi could just about remember the route they needed to get back to where they'd started, but Alicia had shown no sign of slowing down. Still, it would be worse if they were separated. There was no way that Livvi was going to abandon her friend in this forest.

"Alicia!" she called again as she ran. A crash from her right caused her to change direction. She followed another path to the end and finally found Alicia and Ruo bearing down on the paras at the foot of a cliff face.

"Use Tackle!" Alicia yelled.

Ruo quickly hurled himself forwards and slammed into the paras, sending it flying back. It pulled itself back to its feet and swiped at Ruo in return. He stumbled, but remained upright.

"Again!" Alicia ordered.

With a cry, Ruo hurled himself at the paras again, this time jumping into the air and slamming down onto it from above. The paras was temporarily stunned, but quickly threw him off.

"Was that Body Slam?" Livvi cried as she reached them.

"Huh?" Alicia turned to look at her.

"Look out!" Livvi called.

The paras leapt forward to swipe at Ruo again, scoring a direct hit. The chikorita stumbled back, but regained his composure.

"Use Razor Leaf!" Alicia called.

Ruo quickly fired a cluster of leaves at the paras, scoring a direct hit. It was thrown back and crashed into the cliff face.

"Great work, Ruo!" Alicia grinned.

Ruo grinned back happily at her.

A split second later, he was suddenly enveloped in a bright light.

"Huh? Is that?" Alicia gasped.

"He's evolving," Livvi said, watching as the chikorita's body started to warp and change. He grew bigger, the leaf on his head larger. With a bright flash, the light vanished and a yellow, quadruped pokémon with a sleek, green leaf on its head stood before them.

"Wow! This is the first time I've ever seen a pokémon evolve!" Alicia cried happily. She ran over and hugged Ruo. "Congratulations, Ruo!"

Ruo cried happily back and nuzzled her neck affectionately.

"Congratulations, both of you." Livvi smiled as she pulled out her Pokédex.

" _Bayleef, the leaf pokémon and the evolved form of chikorita. A bayleef's neck is ringed by curled-up leaves. Inside each tubular leaf is a small shoot of a tree. The fragrance of this shoot makes people feel more energetic._ "

"You were saying something earlier," Alicia said, turning to Livvi as she put her Pokédex away. "Something about a 'body slam'?"

"Ah, yeah!" Livvi nodded. "I thought that Ruo was using a move called 'Body Slam' earlier, when you asked him to use Tackle."

"I see!" Alicia nodded proudly. "I guess you're really getting stronger, Ruo!"

Ruo grinned back. He suddenly stuck his leaf into the air. A green aura surrounded him as he absorbed sunlight from the air. The scratches and bruises from the battle with the paras started to heal, though Ruo had to stop, panting heavily, before they were fully healed.

"Is that a new move too?" Alicia cried, looking at Livvi.

"Yeah." Livvi nodded. "I think that was Synthesis – it's a move that heals damage during battle." She looked at Ruo, who was clearly exhausted. "I think you should put Ruo back in his poké ball."

"Huh?"

"Pokémon get all worn out by evolving," Livvi explained. "You should give him a rest to restore his energy."

Alicia quickly recalled Ruo to his poké ball. As she did, she suddenly noticed that the paras was nowhere to be seen.

"I guess it must have snuck away," Livvi sighed as she noticed that Alicia was looking around frantically.

"Ugh! I was really hoping to catch it," Alicia replied. Her face brightened up though. "At least Ruo evolved – that was much better!"

"Yeah, good for you, Alicia." Livvi smiled.

"By the way…" Alicia looked around at their surroundings. "Where are we?"

"Ah." Livvi didn't recognise any of the paths around them.

The two trainers started trying to trace back their steps to find their way back to the path they'd been following, but they couldn't find it. They were surrounded by the murky forest and couldn't even see any of the worn wooden signs that would have helped them find their way.

They were lost.

* * *

 _10:02pm, 13_ _th_ _April 2006_

If the forest was intimidating by day, it was frightening by night.

Livvi and Alicia were huddled in their tent, listening to the noises of the forest outside. The feeling that they were surrounded and cornered kept them rooted firmly in place, though Livvi didn't feel as though they were in any real danger. And if they did get attacked, they had the pokémon with them to fight off any attackers.

"Sorry," Alicia murmured, not for the first time that evening.

"It's okay," Livvi replied. While it was obviously Alicia's fault that they had lost their way, Livvi wasn't really in the mood for finger-pointing. It wouldn't help them overcome their problems and it had been clear right from the start that she really regretted what had happened.

It was just that this forest was at least ten times as scary as Viridian Forest. Livvi found herself jumping at every rustle of leaves or distant cry of a wild pokémon. Worse of all was whenever a tree branch snapped. Every time, both girls had jumped out of their skin and Alicia had edged slightly closer to her older companion.

Though they'd be relying on them in the event of trouble, the pokémon seemed pretty intimidated as well.

Well, except Tavro, who didn't seem to be any different to usual.

But the rest of them also seemed on edge and nervous to some extent or another. Particularly the smaller ones, like Litine and Pari.

Livvi hadn't decided to try getting to sleep yet. It didn't seem like anyone would be able to sleep in their current condition anyway. She was starting to wonder if they'd all be up all night and not get any sleep at all. The thought of trying to find their way out of the forest without sufficient sleep sounded like a disaster in the making to her – it was the one thing that was worrying her more than the noises outside the tent.

"So," she began. All the eyes in the tent turned to her. "…I was thinking that we should try and get some sleep soon…"

"O-Of course!" Alicia nodded. "It's just…"

That she couldn't sleep as she was now.

Livvi sighed. It was definitely going to be a long night, one way or another.

Some of the pokémon seemed to relax a bit at Livvi's words. Tavro may well already have been asleep, and Barru also seemed to be moving in that direction as he flaked on the ground.

At that moment, there was a sudden call from a hoothoot nearby. As the loud sound reverberated around the tent, everyone jumped out of their skin.

In a panic, Pari's tail started rotating vigorously. Livvi's heart leapt in alarm as she realised he was lowering it to attempt to drill into the ground – he'd ruin the floor of the tent!

Fortunately, Alicia reached out and quickly grabbed the dunsparce as he was lowering his tail. "Don't worry, it's alright," she said reassuringly as he harmlessly drilled the air. "Would you like to go back in your poké ball?"

An image flashed across Livvi's mind as she watched Alicia recall Pari to his poké ball.

"Hey, I just got an idea."

"Huh? What kind?" Alicia asked.

"I was thinking of a move that Pari could learn to use," Livvi replied. She looked around the tent. "Though not right now, of course…"

"What move?" Alicia asked.

"I'll tell you in the morning." Livvi forced herself to get into her sleeping bag. She was still spooked after that hoothoot's call, but she had to get some sleep if she was going to operate tomorrow.

Following her example, Alicia snuggled down in her sleeping bag, shifting so that she was as close to Livvi as possible. She still seemed unsettled. The remaining pokémon seemed to be settling down somewhat as well.

"Try and get some sleep," Livvi told her as she reached out for the lamp behind their heads. "We'll get out of here tomorrow."

"Got it." Alicia nodded as Livvi flicked the switch and the tent was plunged into darkness.

* * *

 _11:57am, 14_ _th_ _April 2006_

"Here seems like a good spot."

"Are you sure it's okay to stop for this when we still don't know where we are?"

"Don't worry about it. It can't make things any worse."

Livvi and Alicia walked into a small clearing in the forest. Though there was sunlight visible above them, the canopy remained quite thick and they could make out the top of a nearby mountain. They were still a long way from making it back to the main path.

The two of them put their bags down by the side and walked out towards the centre. Alicia pulled out Pari's poké ball as she walked and got ready to release him.

"So, what are we going to do?" she asked.

"I was watching Pari last night when he tried to burrow into the ground," Livvi replied. "It made me think of a move he might be able to use."

"A new move?" Alicia's eyes lit up. "That sounds great! Shall I call him out?"

"Sure." Livvi nodded. She started thinking about how they could start teaching as Alicia opened the poké ball and let Pari out. It was a move that none of her pokémon knew, so there wasn't any prior experience that they could draw on. Still, it seemed like Pari was naturally attuned to the way the move was used, based on what she'd seen the previous night. It probably wouldn't be too tough to train him.

"Now what, Livvi?" Alicia called. Both she and Pari were looking eagerly at her.

"Okay, let's start by getting Pari to use his tail to start burrowing," Livvi replied.

"Got it!" Alicia nodded at Pari, who started rotating his tail. Lowering it sharply, dirt started flying everywhere as he bored a hole into the ground. Alicia immediately jumped back as it flicked up and hit her.

"Pretty good." Livvi looked at Pari's progress. He'd very quickly dug a small hole and had started to disappear into it. The grinding of dirt stopped as the dunsparce seemed content with the amount that he'd dug.

"Umm, so is this what's supposed to happen?" Alicia asked. She seemed baffled by what was happening. This wasn't the normal way they learned new attacks.

"Yeah, it's a good start." Livvi nodded reassuringly. She walked over to the rim of Pari's pit and crouched down above it. "Okay, Pari, I want you to try and dig deeper. Go completely underground."

She stepped back as Pari nodded and started digging again. There was another brief shower of earth as he started digging.

Walking over to join her, Alicia still had a perplexed look on her face.

"Now, I want you to start moving around underground!" Livvi called down the hole. "When you hear me thump on the ground, I want you to try and surface there!"

There was a muffled cry of acknowledgement from the darkness below.

Livvi moved away from the hole and tip-toed across the clearing. There was a distant scrabbling as Pari moved around beneath the surface. His direction seemed to be random, but Livvi thought that he might be circling the area where she and Alicia had been standing.

She suddenly thumped her foot on the ground before stepping away again.

The rumbling intensified and grew louder.

Alicia suddenly yelped in surprise as Pari erupted, tail first, from the ground, sending dirt flying everywhere. He came to rest on his belly, looking around at his surroundings.

"Great work, Pari!" Livvi grinned, walking over and patting him on the head.

"He… did it?" Alicia asked as she wandered over.

"Yeah, pretty much," Livvi replied. "That's how to use the move. Obviously, in battle he'd have to listen out for where his opponent is and react to them changing direction."

"That's awesome!" Alicia cheered. "What move is this, by the way?"

"It's a really simple one," Livvi replied. "It's called 'Dig'!"

"Dig?" Alicia nodded with satisfaction. "Pari and I are definitely going to practise it, aren't we?"

Pari gave a nod of affirmation. He was clearly pleased with all the attention he was getting.

"I don't think it'll be too hard," Livvi replied. "The added bonus of Dig is that you can avoid being hit by your opponents' attacks while you're underground."

"That's really handy!" Alicia nodded enthusiastically.

"Anyway, I'm starting to get hungry," said Livvi. "Since we've stopped already, do you want to have some lunch?"

"Sure!"

The two girls turned back to look at their bags and suddenly cried out in surprise.

A small pokémon with a black back and cream underbelly was sniffing at their bags. Realising that it had been noticed, it squeaked in fright and retreated slightly. Tucking itself into a ball, black smoke and some weak flames sputtered from its back.

"Oh!" Alicia cried. "It's a cyndaquil!"

"A cyndaquil?" Livvi asked.

"It's one of the pokémon that Professor Elm was giving out to new trainers in New Bark Town," Alicia explained. "It's a fire type pokémon."

"Cyndaquil, huh?" Livvi pulled out her Pokédex.

" _Cyndaquil, the fire mouse pokémon. Cyndaquil protect themselves by flaring up the flames on their back. The flames are vigorous if the pokémon is angry. However, if it is tired, the flames sputter fitfully with incomplete combustion._ "

The cyndaquil emerged tentatively from its ball, the weak flames on its back failing to make any kind of impression. It edged closer to their bags again.

"It must be weak," Alicia said in concern. "Look at that smoke."

"I wonder if it's hungry," Livvi mused, watching as it scrabbled at the zipper on her backpack. "That's where all our food is."

"Have we got any to spare?" Alicia asked. "We don't know how long it'll take to get through the forest."

"It should be fine," Livvi replied. "I stocked up on food before we left Azalea Town. If things get bad though, then we can always start rationing it or foraging for berries!"

"If you're sure…"

Livvi gingerly approached the bags. The cyndaquil backed off slightly, but adopted a combative stance.

"Don't worry," she said, smiling at it to reassure it. "I'm not going to hurt you."

The cyndaquil allowed her to reach the bag and watched her carefully as she opened it.

Rummaging around slowly to avoid startling the wild pokémon, Livvi pulled out a tin of pokémon food and tipped some of it out into a bowl, which she carefully pushed in the cyndaquil's direction.

She backed off slightly, encouraging the cyndaquil to come forward and sniff at the pokémon food cautiously. However, it quickly started eating eagerly. Clearly it had been hungry.

Now that it was focused on the food, it ignored Livvi was she pulled her and Alicia's bags away from it.

"That's a relief," Alicia sighed, gratefully taking her bag from Livvi.

The two of them moved away to the centre of the clearing and settled down to eat. Their lunchbreak passed uneventfully and they retrieved the empty bowl from the cyndaquil without any problems once it was done.

* * *

 _3:58pm, 15_ _th_ _April 2006_

Another day passed. Though there was still food and Livvi had worked out that they were indeed making progress through the forest despite not knowing exactly where they were, Alicia was worried.

They hadn't managed to pinpoint their location, despite constantly searching for clues in the area around them. The saving grace was that the continuing unfamiliarity of their surroundings meant that they weren't going in circles.

However, it was the fact that she was having trouble sleeping that was bothering Alicia the most. The spooky surroundings and sounds during the night had been keeping her awake and often made her wake up in fright once she finally had fallen asleep. The tiredness was starting to get to her.

"How are you feeling?" Livvi asked. Though she seemed sprightlier than her companion, the dark bags under her eyes belied her own lack of sleep.

"I'm fine," Alicia replied sluggishly. She wondered how long it would take her to start going mad.

"You don't look so good." Livvi continued. "We can stop for a rest if you want."

"It's fine," Alicia insisted. "I just want us to try and find our way out of this place as soon as we can."

"Same." Livvi frowned. "We starting to run low on food as well."

"Only because you keep feeding that cyndaquil," Alicia sighed, casting a glance over her shoulder at the fire mouse pokémon that was trailing in their wake.

"I guess you have a point there!" Livvi laughed drily.

They'd realised that the cyndaquil had been following when an extra face had appeared amongst the pokémon during the preparations for dinner the previous evening. Livvi recognised that she probably needed to be firmer with it, but she'd felt bad both the previous night and that morning when feeding the other pokémon. She'd caved in and given some food to the cyndaquil too. It was no surprise that it had started following them.

At the same time, though, a part of her suspected that the cyndaquil may have been a victim of the forest as well. After consulting the Pokédex again, she'd discovered that cyndaquil usually lived in grassland rather than forests. This one must have gotten lost in the forest and started getting hungry.

Since it was going through the same experience, she didn't like the idea of abandoning it to its fate.

"What are we going to do with him?" Alicia asked, throwing another glance over her shoulder. "Will he keep following us after we leave the forest?"

"He might do…" Livvi mused, glancing at the cyndaquil too. It felt as though it had been walking slightly closer to them as the day progressed. It was getting more comfortable with their presence.

"That could cause problems," Alicia sighed. "What if we need to go somewhere that pokémon aren't allowed?"

"Maybe I should catch him?" Livvi murmured. "That would deal with all the problems."

"Not our food problem." Alicia's tone was cynical, but she smiled at Livvi. "I can tell that you can't leave him alone. If you're going to be worrying about him from now on, then you might as well seal the deal."

Livvi paused for a second, lost in thought. Then she smiled. "I guess you're right." She turned to face the cyndaquil and crouched down.

The cyndaquil stopped and watched her curiously. Maybe thinking that she was going to give him food, he started approaching her.

Livvi pulled out an empty poké ball and held it out in front of her. As the cyndaquil reached her, she gently tapped him on the head with the ball.

It popped open and the cyndaquil was converted to energy and sucked inside. After a couple of shakes, there was a click and a small burst of sparks.

"Congratulations, Livvi!" Alicia grinned enthusiastically despite her tiredness.

"Thanks," Livvi replied. She let the cyndaquil back out of his poké ball and coaxed him up onto her shoulder.

"What are you going to call him?" Alicia asked as Livvi stood up.

"Hmm." Livvi pondered as the two of them started walking again. "Maybe… 'Dacino'?"

"Sounds cute!" Alicia nodded approvingly.

"We'll go with that then!" Livvi beamed at the pokémon perched comfortably on her shoulder. "I'm looking forward to our adventures together!"

* * *

 _Route 34, Johto_

 _6:43pm, 16_ _th_ _April 2006_

The following day, Livvi and Alicia had been excited to finally stumble across a beaten old sign marking a path. They had finally gotten back on track and, after a long trek through the gloom of Ilex Forest, they'd eventually emerged into bright light of an open valley. That sign reading 'You are now leaving Ilex Forest' had been one of the best things they'd seen in a while.

"We did it!" Alicia gasped as she walked over to a nearby bench and flopped down onto it.

"Yeah." Livvi joined her. Dacino jumped down from her shoulder and sat next to her, while Ruo trudged over and stood nearby.

It was starting to get late and the sun was starting to dip low in the sky, but the brightness still caused the two girls to shield their eyes. It was still warm, despite only being the middle of April.

"It was a good idea letting Ruo out," Livvi said, turning to Alicia.

"Thanks." Alicia leaned against her shoulder and sighed tiredly. "I thought his flower buds would make us feel more energetic. I guess it doesn't work completely!"

"It helped," Livvi replied with a smile. "Besides, Ruo's still getting used to his new form."

The bayleef cried cheerfully at them. He hadn't struggled on the journey at all. But then, he hadn't been walking on the previous couple of days. He seemed eager to keep moving, but there was concern in his eyes as he watched Alicia and Livvi. He didn't want his trainer to overexert herself.

"We're still not at Goldenrod City," Alicia sighed.

"I'm afraid we've still got a long way to go before we get to Goldenrod City," Livvi replied gently. "It's going to be a long day tomorrow as well."

"At least we're out of the forest." Alicia fell silent for a couple of seconds as if lost in thought.

Livvi wondered if she was thinking about the gym in Goldenrod City. She'd said that she wanted to challenge it by herself this time, rather than as a team. If she and Pari could finish work on Dig, then she would be able to hold her own, especially since Ruo had evolved into a bayleef.

Yet Saffa wasn't going to be of any use to her at all. Livvi shuddered at the thought of the next gym fighting using a three-on-three format. One way or another, it was going to be tough work for Alicia fighting by herself.

Livvi shook her head to clear her thoughts. They could deal with that once they got to Goldenrod City. There would be plenty of opportunities for them to train between now and then. And, besides, she needed to worry about her own gym battle as well!

With that in mind, she looked back at Alicia. "We should probably get moving again," she said. "We want to make as much progress today as possible, right?"

"I guess," Alicia sighed, gazing out at the valley that lay ahead of them. Though it was far more inviting than the forest had ever been, it still looked like a daunting obstacle. "Can we stay here for a little bit longer?"

"…Sure." Livvi nodded.

It had been a tough journey to get here. They deserved to rest for a while.

* * *

 **So, we had quite a few events this chapter. I ended up having a lot of fun writing it, though there were some tougher bits. I like to think that I've created a more sinister atmosphere for Ilex Forest compared to Viridian Forest or Petalburg Woods. It always struck me as being more intimidating whenever I was playing Heartgold.**

 **Anyway, I just managed to get this chapter out in July, so I've maintained the 'once-every-month' thing I've got going on with** _ **Johto Scrapbook**_ **. I apologise for the lack of updates recently. I've been tied up with my course and, starting from last Monday, a new job. I fell ill in the middle of last week as well, which left me unable to do any writing until today. I'm hoping to get back into the swing of writing and get more** _ **Hoenn**_ **chapters done for this weekend. Fingers crossed!**

 **I'm looking forward to working on the next chapter for** _ **Johto Scrapbook**_ **as well, since it's focused on Alicia and starts to look slightly more at her back story. I'll make sure that I have it ready to come out after Chapter 24 of** _ **Hoenn**_ **!**

 **As ever, I appreciate any feedback you have on this chapter.**

 **Until next time!**

* * *

 **Team Listings:**

 **Livvi Weston:**

 **Active:**

 **Barru** (Bulbasaur): male, timid, highly persistent, likes sweet food, grass-poison type, Overgrow ability, knows Tackle, Sludge Bomb, Solar Beam and Leech Seed.

 **Cylune** (Venomoth): male, modest, proud of its power, likes dry food, poison-bug type, Shield Dust ability, knows Stun Spore, Psychic, Toxic and Silver Wind.

 **Evoro** (Eevee): male, jolly, alert to sounds, likes sweet food, normal type, Adaptability ability, knows Bite, Double Team, Take Down and Quick Attack.

 **Salea** (Blissey): female, gentle, somewhat vain, likes bitter food, normal type, Natural Cure ability, knows Softboiled, Psychic, Double-Edge and Egg Bomb.

 **Tavro** (Hypno): male, quirky, loves to eat, eats anything, psychic type, Forewarn ability, knows Psychic, Hypnosis, Future Sight and Headbutt.

 **Litine** (Marill): female, mild, good endurance, likes dry food, water type, Thick Fat ability, knows Defence Curl, Tail Whip, Water Gun and Rollout.

 **Dacino** (Cyndaquil): male, adamant, loves to eat, likes spicy food, fire type, Blaze ability, knows Ember, Swift, Flame Wheel and Smokescreen.

 **In Viridian City:**

 **Dorru** (Nidorina): female, quiet, mischievous, likes dry food, poison type, Rivalry ability, knows Fury Swipes, Double Kick, Poison Sting and Crunch.

 **Alicia Law:**

 **Active:**

 **Ruo** (Bayleef): male, naughty, often dozes off, likes spicy food, grass type, Overgrow ability, knows Body Slam, Synthesis, Razor Leaf and Reflect.

 **Pari** (Dunsparce): male, quirky, likes to thrash about, eats anything, normal type, Serene Grace ability, knows Rage, Defence Curl, Yawn and Dig.

 **Saffa** (Magikarp): female, rash, often lost in thought, likes dry food, water type, Swift Swim ability, knows Splash.


	7. Goldenrod City

**Hello and welcome to another chapter of** _ **Pokémon Journey: Livvi's Johto Scrapbook**_ **!**

 **With Livvi and Alicia finally clearing Ilex Forest last chapter, they're now on course for their next major destination: Goldenrod City.**

 **Upload Date: 22** **nd** **August 2017**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: Goldenrod City**

 _Goldenrod City, Johto_

 _12:47am, 20_ _th_ _April 2006_

Whenever humans gather, settlements spring up. Sometimes, these settlements can grow to be towns, while others grow still larger and become cities.

However, there are some which become such strong focal points for human activity, so vital as centres of trade, politics and industry, that they grow to become something more.

Goldenrod City was one such place.

The sprawling metropolis covered a huge area of ground, stretching for miles upon miles up the west coast of Johto's mainland. It was so large that it was possible to spend days, or maybe even weeks, travelling through nothing but cityscape. Though wild pokémon still appeared, there was almost no real nature left for miles.

Yet this didn't mean that this was a place with nothing to offer pokémon trainers. The city sported a number of large parks, oases of nature amid the hustle and bustle of modern city life. Virtually every ward had a least a handful of practice arenas for trainers to use. And that as to say nothing of the grander facilities available in the city.

With pokémon training as popular as it was, it was no surprise that there were vast complexes of trainer-related facilities, everything from battling, to training, to top-of-the-range supplies. There were no less than three stadiums within the city limits, all holding periodic battle tournaments, even outside the league season.

Just the descriptions she'd read before leaving Viridian City had been enough to get Livvi excited about the prospect of actually seeing the city with her own eyes. She had been scarcely able to imagine what it would be like when she got there.

However, though she'd been left starry-eyed when she and Alicia had first seen the city as they emerged from the mountains, it had started to wear off as they continue walking along the streets. According to the map, they weren't even in Goldenrod proper yet!

"It's a lot bigger than you think after looking at the map, isn't it?" Alicia smiled at her. She'd visited Goldenrod on a number of previous occasions, so she was used to the size. She'd never walked in from the south though.

"Not that I don't like the scenery," Livvi began. "But it would be quite nice to feel like we're getting somewhere."

"We could catch the train." Alicia suggested. "We wouldn't be missing anything if we did."

"Is there a train station near here?" Livvi asked.

"Probably. It's the main way that people in Goldenrod get around, after all!"

"Ah, of course." Livvi nodded. "I guess a lot of people live out here, but work in the city centre."

"I think so, yeah," Alicia replied.

They continued walking.

Even though they were far from Goldenrod's centre, they were still in a city – there were plenty of shops, arcades and other interesting buildings around. If it weren't for the fact that she really wanted to get to the city centre, Livvi would have loved to have spent more time around here.

Sure enough, they quickly found the local train station and walked through the doors to the lobby. Their hearts quickly sank as they spotted the large number of people waiting around there.

"I didn't think there'd be this many people," Livvi sighed.

"Well, it'll still be better than walking, right?" Alicia smiled at her.

"Yeah…"

They walked over to the ticket office as another customer stepped away.

"We'd like two single tickets to Goldenrod Centre," Alicia said as she reached the counter.

"Certainly," the clerk replied. "Just to let you know, though, we've been experiencing some signalling problems on the line into Goldenrod and the next train has been delayed."

"How long for?" Alicia asked.

"Several hours, I'm afraid."

"So, that's why there are so many people here." Livvi looked around at all the people loitering in the lobby, many of them checking their watches. Much to her disappointment, the electronic departures board wasn't displaying any trains at all. Clearly whatever had happened was a little bit more serious than the clerk was letting on.

At that moment, there was a sudden announcement over the public-address system: "All trains for Goldenrod Centre, Ecruteak City and Olivine City are currently delayed for up to three hours. We apologise to passengers for the inconvenience caused."

There was a loud murmur of discontent among the people gathered in the lobby in reaction to that news.

"I guess you probably don't want to hang around here for three hours," Alicia said as she walked over to join Livvi.

"It would probably take less time if we just walked," Livvi sighed.

"No, I think you're underestimating just how large the Goldenrod metropolis is," Alicia replied. "Still, we can explore this part of the city while we wait for the trains to arrive."

"I guess so." Livvi nodded. "Shall we go then?"

"Sure!" Alicia replied eagerly.

It seemed, however, like everyone else had had the same idea. The two of them had to quickly plunge into the crowd leaving the station and heading back in the direction of the shopping district. Livvi resolved to avoid being thrown about too much by the crowd and walked resolutely in the same direction. It was only after walking for about five minutes that she suddenly realised that Alicia wasn't by her side anymore.

"Huh?" Livvi looked around as the small crowd she'd been following dissipated. She knew roughly where she was, but there was no sign of Alicia…

* * *

 _1:03pm, 20_ _th_ _April 2006_

"…Alright, I'll keep an eye out for you. Try to get back to the station if it's looking like we might be late. Bye!"

Livvi hung up, her conversation with Alicia inconclusive. Neither of them could remember when they'd separated and neither really had any idea where exactly where they were. Since they'd both already ended up in areas full of shops, they'd concluded that they were probably quite close to each other. Whether or not they'd be able to find each other when there were so many people around was another question altogether.

So, they'd decided to go about doing what they wanted while keeping an eye out for each other. As long as they didn't miss the train, there shouldn't be a problem. Besides, as much as she was anxious to reunite with Alicia, Livvi couldn't really face the prospect of walking back towards the station only to walk back into the centre.

"So, what shall we do first?" she asked, glancing down at her feet.

Evoro, the eevee, and her newest pokémon, Dacino the cyndaquil, were scampering around her, eagerly sniffing at the interesting scents of the city. Evoro quickly darted forwards, turning back to look at her and giving her a bright smile.

"I'll follow your lead then!" Livvi laughed. She stepped forwards and following Evoro. Dacino stayed close to her feet – unlike his companion, he'd lived his life in the natural world. He wasn't used to the big city yet.

Livvi scarcely had time to think about her pokémon though. She was surrounded by stores owned by the more prestigious brands in Johto and Kanto. To see them all together as far out as this part of the city instead of in the centre was astounding. It made her wonder what the shopping district in central Goldenrod looked like!

"Where should I go first?" she murmured to herself as she walked into the shopping centre and looked from left to right at the different shops. She thoughts were interrupted, however, as she suddenly noticed that Evoro was getting too far ahead and, worse, was squirming his way through the crowd of people ahead of her. "Evoro!"

Evoro stopped and looked around, only for someone to suddenly trip over him. Both pokémon and human let out a yelp of surprise, though the young man was able to regain his balance before he could fall over.

"Phew!" He rubbed his dirty blonde hair in relief.

"I'm sorry!" Livvi cried as she ran over to them. "I wasn't controlling my eevee!"

"It's fine," the man replied. "I was kind of lost in thought as well, so it's partly my fault as well!"

"Come on, Evoro!" Livvi quickly scooped the eevee up into her arms. She looked up to find that the man was gazing at her with a curious look on his face. "Umm…" she began awkwardly.

"That's it!" he suddenly cried. "You were one of the kids involved in the long-range Transfer System project in the Sevii Islands!"

"H-Huh? Th-That's right, but…" A memory suddenly flashed through Livvi's head. She suddenly pulled her purse out and rummaged inside for something. She held up a small business card. "You're Nathan, that reporter from the Goldenrod Post?"

"The very same!" Nathan grinned. "Fancy running into you in a place like this!"

"I'd say the same about you," Livvi began. "…But I guess it's totally expected that you'd be here!"

"In fairness, the head office is in the city centre," Nathan replied. "I don't come down here that often. So, what are you up to these days?"

"I'm gathering badges to compete in the Johto League," Livvi explained. "I've got two already. Goldenrod is my next stop."

"I see." Nathan nodded.

"What about you?" Livvi asked. "Are you investigating a story right now?"

"Sort of," Nathan said, watching as Evoro wriggled around in Livvi's arms. "Actually, if you've got some time, there's something you could do to help me with it."

* * *

 _2:18pm, 20_ _th_ _April 2006_

"Maaaan! I'm so bored!"

"I know, right? Makes me want to go smash something up, just for the hell of it!"

"Why don't we go and score some drinks at that café over the road? The old lady who runs the place always gives us whatever we want!"

"I dunno! It's kinda fun sitting here and watching everyone avoid this street, just 'cause we're here!"

The three youths, all dressed in baggy clothes, were loitering to one side of a small street – more like an alley really – off one of the main roads. This was their favourite spot to hang out. Close to the action, but far enough out of sight that the police couldn't really ask them to move on. It was nice and cool in the shade of the buildings as well.

"Umm, excuse me?"

As they suddenly heard some footsteps close to them, they looked around.

A young girl with her orangey hair tied up in pigtails was approaching them. She must have been at least three years younger than them. Yet there was a smile on her face as she reached them, not intimidated by their presence in the slightest.

"You lost, girlie?" One of them called to her. "You don't belong in a place like this!"

"I was wondering if you guys could move somewhere else. You're bothering everyone by staying here…"

"Huh?!" One of the youths pulled himself away from the wall he'd been slouching against. "You think you can boss us around?!"

The others stood up as well and started to gather around the girl, leering intimidatingly at her.  
"Why don't you run back home?"

"Yeah, you wouldn't want your mummy to worry about you, would you?"

The smile disappeared from the girl's face. But it wasn't replaced with a look of fear. Instead, there was a scowl of such ferocity that the youths were momentarily stunned.

"You don't want to talk to me like that." The girl stepped forwards, standing on her tip-toes to bring her face as close to theirs as she could. "Do you know who my father is..?" she asked in a hushed tone.

* * *

"W-We're sorry!"

Everyone on the street looked around as three teenagers wearing baggy clothes suddenly rushed out of a side street and started racing down the main road. People started murmuring as they disappeared from sight.

A shopkeeper, hovering near the entrance to the side street, gazed after them with an incredulous look on his face. Blinking, he turned back to the side street as a young girl emerged, fiddling nervously with one of her pigtails.

"Umm, I got them to move on…"

"Wh-What did you do?" the shopkeeper gasped. "I've never seen that lot run anywhere, ever!"

"I guess they saw the error of their ways?" Alicia Law laughed nervously.

"Still, I can't express my gratitude enough!" The shopkeeper smiled at her. "I know it's not much, but I'd like you to take this." He tried to hand her a pack of chocolates, one of the many things he sold in his shop.

"Ah, that's…" Alicia took a step back and shook her head. "I just wanted to help out! I don't need a reward!"

"Please, I insist." The shopkeeper pressed it into her hand. "We need more young people like you around in this city."

"At least let me pay for-"

"You've already paid for it with your actions." The shopkeeper smiled. "It's okay to accept a reward for doing something for someone."

"…Thanks." Alicia smiled awkwardly, her cheeks turning slightly pink as she accepted the gift. "I'm glad I was able to help." She moved forwards, brushing past the shopkeeper. With a movement so smooth and gentle that it would have been nearly impossible to notice, she slipped her hand into his jacket pocket and deposited the cost of the chocolates.

In the next instant, she was away from him as he cheerfully saw her off. She continued on her way, the smile slipping from her face.

"I'm sorry," she murmured quietly. "I can't let anyone have me in debt to them."

* * *

 _2:43pm, 20_ _th_ _April 2006_

"Evolutionary stones?" Livvi gave Nathan a curious look. "You mean like Moon Stones and Leaf Stones?"

"The very same." Nathan nodded.

The two of them were sat in a café within the shopping centre. Nathan had insisted on buying Livvi a coffee – no doubt to help entice her into helping him. The third seat at the table was occupied by Evoro, who was watching the exchange with interest.

"So, you managed to get some, but you still don't have another information to write your article?" Livvi asked.

"That's right." Nathan nodded. He pulled out three smooth, shiny stones, one blue, one a mixture of red and orange, one a mix of yellow and green, and placed them on the table. "This is a fire stone, a thunder stone and a water Stone."

"Wow! It's amazing to actually see one in real life!" Livvi gasped, leaning forwards to gaze at them.

"I've taken these to an appraiser I know," Nathan explained. "He was able to tell me a little about how they worked… fascinating stuff."

"I imagine." Livvi nodded, sitting back in her seat. "So, what do you need me for?"

"I feel that I need to observe a pokémon evolving using one of these stones," Nathan replied. "The stories I've heard suggest that the stones are actually solidified energy that pokémon use to evolve, like an extra battery. Apparently, it gets absorbed into the body of the evolving pokémon…"

Livvi took a sip of her coffee. "So, you want me to evolve one of my pokémon using an evolution stone?" She was trying to sound cool and collected, but secretly she was starting to get very excited.

"That's what I'm hoping." Nathan nodded. "Eevee are a particularly interesting example since they can evolve into at least five different kinds of pokémon… though you're limited to just three if we're doing a stone evolution."

"Well, I guess we can help," Livvi replied coolly. "I mean, since you went out of your way to ask us."

Evoro gave an excited bark as well. He seemed enthusiastic about the prospect too.

"Glad to hear it! Now everyone will be happy!" Nathan grinned. "I don't really mind which evolution stone you use as long as I get to record it."

"I'm fine with that." Livvi nodded. "I've got a rough idea of which one I want to use…"

"Before we do that though." Nathan stood up and gestured to one of the baristas to get his attention. "Could we get a private room?" he asked.

"Certainly." The barista nodded. "Head on up."

"Thanks." Nathan turned back to Livvi. "Come along then."

"Hmm." Livvi gave Nathan a suspicious look as she stood up. "A 'private room'?"

"We don't want to cause a scene here by having Evoro evolve," Nathan replied. "I'm not going to do anything fishy. You can send out your pokémon if that makes you feel safe."

"I don't need your permission to do that," Livvi replied. Despite that, she decided to follow him. Though Tavro still wouldn't listen to her in battle, he wouldn't hesitate to defend her if she was in danger.

Once they reached the room, Nathan placed the three evolutionary stones on the table and stepped back. He pulled out a small video camera and started turning it on. Evoro, in the meantime, jumped from Livvi's shoulder to the top of the table. He sat a short distance from the evolutionary stones, eyeing them cautiously.

"Right, we're good to go!" Nathan grinned at Livvi as she moved around beside him. "Which stone are we using?"

"The thunder stone," Livvi replied.

"Got it." Nathan scooped up the fire and water stones and pulled the remaining one towards Evoro. "Whenever you're ready."

"It's okay, Evoro." Livvi smiled at him. "All you need to do is touch the stone.

Evoro nodded. He carefully approached the stone and reached out his paw. Placing it atop the stone, a burst of light started to emit from the point of contact. The eevee was quickly enveloped in a bright light and swirling beams. His body started to grow bigger, his furry mane turning pointy and spikey. His round face became smoother and sleeker.

The light suddenly burst, and the newly-evolved jolteon stood before them.

"Wow!" Livvi gasped. She'd dreamed of evolving Evoro into a jolteon since she'd first caught him almost a year ago. To see him finally achieve that…

"Fantastic!" Nathan grinned, playing back his recording. He showed it to Livvi. "Look at what happens here!" He'd focused in on Evoro's paw and the thunder stone at the moment of evolution.

"They merged!" Livvi gasped, watching as the shape of the stone appeared to disappear into Evoro's paw as he evolved.

"I wonder what this means?" Nathan mused. "Does it merge and become a part of the pokémon's body? Is it just for giving the extra energy, or does it have a more permanent function?"

"I wonder…" Livvi sighed.

The two of them were interrupted by a cry from Evoro, who'd moved forwards unsteadily to be right in front of them. As expected, he was exhausted. Evolution was still a tiring process even with the help of an evolutionary stone, Livvi guessed.

"Congratulations, Evoro!" She smiled as she rubbed his nose affectionately.

"Thanks for helping out, Evoro!" Nathan grinned. "I know that this isn't an easy thing."

"So, what now?" Livvi asked. "Do you have enough for your article?"

"I might need to do some more research to finish up," Nathan replied. "But this has been a massive help. You have my thanks!"

"Well, Evoro and I got something out of it." Livvi shrugged. She glanced at her watch. "Ah! I should probably start thinking about heading back to the train station – there's only about an hour to go until the next train and I don't know the way very well!"

"I'll walk you there," Nathan said, standing up. "It's the least I can do after all your help."

* * *

 _3:26pm, 20_ _th_ _April 2006_

"What should we do now?" Alicia sighed, glancing down at Pari, held firmly in her arms, and Ruo, standing beside her as she leaned against a wall outside a shop. They'd been wandering around the shopping district for some time now, partly to see what she could find in the various shops and partly in an attempt to locate Livvi, but she was starting to run out of time.

Should she keep looking around for a bit longer, or should she start making her way back to the train station?

The fact that she was actually more familiar with the streets around here than she let on meant that she already knew which route she needed to get back. Her worry was that Livvi would get lost and wouldn't be able to make it back.

Ruo gave her a reassuring cry. He, at least, seemed confident that their companions would have no trouble. Pari, who had been oddly hyped up to practise using Dig, continually squirmed to try and get free from her grasp.

"I guess we could run into her on the way," Alicia sighed. She pulled herself away from the wall and started walking towards the exit. Ruo trotted happily alongside her.

As she reached the exit, however, she suddenly heard a scream for further down the street. Several people started running away from one of the side streets. Curious as to what was happening, Alicia quickly headed in that direction.

She rounded the corner to find a bright light in the middle of the street. As her eyes adjusted, she realised it was a pokémon. Its bright body seemed to be composed entirely of magma. It looked around, both cautious and concerned by its surroundings.

"Keep back from it!" one of the nearby shopkeepers shouted to another standing nearby. "Don't provoke it!"

His companion ignored him and started prodding the pokémon with the end of his broom. The pokémon recoiled for a second before letting out an angry cry.

"Wait! Stop!" Alicia called, spotting the danger and racing forwards.

The pokémon shot a sudden burst of fiery embers towards them.

Alicia's quick reflexes allowed her to lean back in time to avoid the attack. As she recovered, Pari squirmed out of her arms and dropped to the ground. With a whir, he started burrowing into the ground.

"Be careful, Pari!" Alicia called after him as she pulled out her Pokédex and pointed it at the pokémon.

" _Slugma, the lava pokémon. Slugma do not have any blood in their bodies. Instead, intensely hot magma circulates throughout these pokémon's bodies, carrying essential nutrients and oxygen to their organs. They can decrease the temperature of the surface of their bodies but doing so for an extended period causes them to harden and become brittle_."

"You fool!" the first shopkeeper shouted to his companion. "Don't you know how dangerous slugma can be?"

"What do you want me to do?" his companion snapped back. "Stand back and watch it torch my property?"

At that moment, the slugma was suddenly flung into the air. Pari shot out of the ground and sent him flying.

"Use Dig again!" Alicia called.

Pari was quick to react. He dove straight down again. There was a rumbling as he started digging again.

"Are you sure you can handle this?" the first shopkeeper asked Alicia. "Slugma can be vicious when cornered."

"I'll be careful!" Alicia assured him, watching as the slugma landed and started looking around for Pari.

Not spotting his target, he instead fired an angry burst of embers directly towards Alicia. As she cried out and made to shield herself, Ruo dashed in front of her, the tiny flames striking him instead.

"Ruo!" As Ruo stumbled backwards into her, Alicia cried out and grabbed him. It hadn't been a particularly bad hit, but the fire had done a fair bit of damage.

At that instant, Pari erupted from the ground again and slammed into the slugma from below. This time, the slugma had focused heat on the exterior of its body, causing Pari to cry in pain as he struck. However, his opponent was still flung back.

As he started to move forwards to attack Pari, who was recovering from the severe burns from contact with the magma-like body, there was a sudden eruption of water from the hole the dunsparce had emerged from.

The slugma cried out in alarm as he was struck by the spray of water. The exterior of his body started to blacken and harden as it rapidly cooled.

 _Chance!_ Alicia pulled out an empty poké ball and threw it at the struggling slugma. He let out a cry of surprise as he was hit and sucked into the ball. It dropped to the ground and rolled around for a couple of seconds before finally clicking shut.

"What a catch!" One of the shopkeepers cheered loudly. "I was worried that it was going to torch this whole district!"

"Don't be so judgemental!" Alicia scolded him as she walked over and picked up the poké ball. "I didn't see him trying to burn anything!"

"Sorry," the first shopkeeper said. "We've seen an increase in the number of slugma appearing in town these days. People are worried about what they might do."

"Slugma prefer hot places," Alicia replied. "It's rare for them to be in cities – I bet this one was just scared being surrounded by strange people and sights."

"We'll keep that in mind for the future," the first shopkeeper said. He bowed his head to her. "Thanks for helping out with that slugma, although…"

"Ah!" Alicia cried.

The water from earlier must have been from a mains pipe. Pari must have punctured it while he was digging.

"I-I'm so sorry about this!" Alicia cried.

"Don't worry about it!" The shopkeeper quickly tried to calm her down. "I'll call the council and they'll send someone to fix it right away! We'll tell them that it was damaged by the slugma!"

"B-But, the cost..!"

"No one could expect a child like you to pay for the repairs! Please don't worry about it!"

"But…" Alicia absentmindedly glanced at her watch. "Ah! I need to get to the train station!"

"Go!" The shopkeeper gave her a gentle shove on the back. "We'll handle this!"

"I-If you're sure…" Alicia quickly recalled Pari and Ruo and started running back towards the main street. It wouldn't take her that long to get there, but she definitely didn't want to miss the train after all that.

* * *

 _3:43pm, 20_ _th_ _April 2006_

As Alicia hurried into the crowed lobby of the train station, she looked around for any sign of Livvi. With so many people around, it was difficult to make out any faces. Fortunately, she quickly spotted her stood to one side of the lobby, evidently looking out for her too.

"Livvi!" she called as she ran over.

"Oh!" Livvi spotted her and waved. "You found your way back here alright, Alicia?"

"It wasn't a problem!" Alicia grinned cheerfully. She suddenly stopped as she noticed the bright yellow pokémon stood by Livvi's side. "Did you catch a new pokémon too?"

"Huh? Oh, no, this is Evoro," Livvi explained. "He's evolved into a jolteon."

"A jolteon?" Alicia pulled out her Pokédex.

" _Jolteon, the lightning pokémon and one of the evolved forms of eevee. A jolteon's cells generate a low level of electricity. This power is amplified by the static electricity of their fur, enabling the pokémon to drop thunderbolts. The bristling fur is made of electrically charged needles._ "

"How did he evolve?" Alicia asked as she put her Pokédex away.

"We used a thunder stone," Livvi replied. "I don't know quite how they work, but they give pokémon an extra boost of energy that some need in order to evolve."

"It was a big help for my article."

It was now that Alicia realised that there was someone else stood with Livvi. A young man with dirty blonde hair. She immediately drew closer to Livvi, positioning herself between the two as she kept a suspicious eye on the stranger. "And you are?"

"The name's Nathan." The man introduced himself. "I'm a reporter for the Goldenrod Post. Livvi was kind enough to help me out, since we met once before."

"It's okay, Alicia!" Livvi laughed nervously. "You don't have to be afraid of him!" She turned to Nathan. "This is the friend I was telling you about – Alicia. We've been travelling together since near Cherrygrove City."

"Ah, I see." Nathan nodded. "Are you challenging the gyms as well, Alicia?"

"Yeah, something like that," Alicia replied evasively. She still seemed defensive, though she had stepped back slightly. "I mean, who doesn't want to challenge the Johto League?"

"I guess you're right!" Nathan laughed. "Everywhere I go, it seems like kids are enthused by the idea of competing!"

"I'm going to go and check on the train times," Alicia said, pulling away from them. "There should be one soon, right?"

"Yeah, there should be." Livvi nodded. "I was just going to say goodbye to Nathan. I'll join you in a second." She recalled Evoro to his poké ball as Alicia walked off in the direction of the platforms.

"You have an interesting companion," Nathan said, watching Alicia as she left.

"Well, she's been-" Livvi stopped suddenly as Nathan drew close to her, his mouth inches from her ear.

"I don't know what it is, but I can tell that girl is hiding something," he breathed into her ear. "Be careful."

"Huh?" Livvi gasped as Nathan pulled away and started walking towards the door.

"Anyway, thanks for your help today, Livvi!" he called over his shoulder. "Take care on your journey!"

"Th-Thanks," Livvi replied in a confused tone. She watched him go for a couple of seconds before turning back to face the platforms. She spotted Alicia waving to her and started walking over.

"There's a train leaving in just a couple of minutes!" she called. "Let's go!"

"Got it!" Livvi ran to catch up with her. She glanced at her companion as they both ran towards the platform they needed. She tried to shake Nathan's words out of her head.

They were friends. That meant trusting each other. Just as she hoped Alicia trusted her, she knew that she also needed to trust her in response. And Nathan could just be jumping to conclusions – it was the first time that he'd ever met her after all.

"Are you okay?" Alicia asked as they stepped onto the train.

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine!" Livvi nodded. She smiled at her.

There was no point thinking too much of it at the moment. Better to turn her attention to what awaited them at the centre of Goldenrod City.

* * *

 **So, no gym battle this chapter, but some interesting events nonetheless. Evoro has finally evolved after spending all of** _ **Kanto**_ **and** _ **Sevii Islands**_ **as an eevee, while Alicia has captured a wild slugma. How will this affect the balance of her team and, more importantly, will I remember to reveal his nickname next chapter? I guess we'll have to find out! :P**

 **Anyway, I hope that the character development in this chapter was appreciated. I've spent a lot of time thinking over the contents of this chapter. It wasn't originally supposed to exist – Evoro's evolution and ?'s capture were supposed to be a part of the first gym battle chapter. I'm glad I decided to do things this way though.**

 **As ever, I appreciate any feedback that you have for me.**

 **Until next time!**

* * *

 **Team Listings:**

 **Livvi Weston:**

 **Active:**

 **Barru** (Bulbasaur): male, timid, highly persistent, likes sweet food, grass-poison type, Overgrow ability, knows Tackle, Sludge Bomb, Solar Beam and Leech Seed.

 **Cylune** (Venomoth): male, modest, proud of its power, likes dry food, poison-bug type, Shield Dust ability, knows Stun Spore, Psychic, Toxic and Silver Wind.

 **Evoro** (Jolteon): male, jolly, alert to sounds, likes sweet food, electric type, Volt Absorb ability, knows Thunderbolt, Double Team, Double Kick and Quick Attack.

 **Tavro** (Hypno): male, quirky, loves to eat, eats anything, psychic type, Forewarn ability, knows Psychic, Hypnosis, Future Sight and Headbutt.

 **Litine** (Marill): female, mild, good endurance, likes dry food, water type, Thick Fat ability, knows Defence Curl, Tail Whip, Water Gun and Rollout.

 **Dacino** (Cyndaquil): male, adamant, loves to eat, likes spicy food, fire type, Blaze ability, knows Ember, Swift, Flame Wheel and Smokescreen.

 **In Viridian City:**

 **Dorru** (Nidorina): female, quiet, mischievous, likes dry food, poison type, Rivalry ability, knows Fury Swipes, Double Kick, Poison Sting and Crunch.

 **Salea** (Blissey): female, gentle, somewhat vain, likes bitter food, normal type, Natural Cure ability, knows Softboiled, Psychic, Double-Edge and Egg Bomb.

 **Alicia Law:**

 **Active:**

 **Ruo** (Bayleef): male, naughty, often dozes off, likes spicy food, grass type, Overgrow ability, knows Body Slam, Synthesis, Razor Leaf and Reflect.

 **Pari** (Dunsparce): male, quirky, likes to thrash about, eats anything, normal type, Serene Grace ability, knows Rage, Defence Curl, Yawn and Dig.

 **Saffa** (Magikarp): female, rash, often lost in thought, likes dry food, water type, Swift Swim ability, knows Splash.

 **?** (Slugma): male, hasty, a little quick tempered, likes sweet food, fire type, Flame Body ability, knows Harden, Rock Throw, Ember and Amnesia.


	8. Alicia's First Solo Battle

**Hello and welcome to another chapter of** _ **Pokémon Journey: Livvi's Johto Scrapbook**_ **!**

 **Last time, Livvi and Alicia ended up separated in a neighbourhood in southern Goldenrod City, where Livvi ran into Nathan, a reporter from the Goldenrod Post who helped evolve Evoro into a jolteon to help an article he was writing, and Alicia captured a wild slugma that had gotten lost in the shopping district.**

 **Upload Date: 13** **th** **September 2017**

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Alicia's First Solo Battle**

 _Goldenrod City, Johto_

 _7:41pm, 20_ _th_ _April 2006_

The hold-ups on the rail line through Goldenrod City had stacked up, causing chaos on the transport network. After long delays, Livvi and Alicia had finally decided to leave the train two stops before the one they needed, on the basis that it would probably be faster for them to walk.

"How are you feeling?" Livvi asked. "Are you tired?"

"I'm okay for now," Alicia replied. "We don't have that far to go now, do we?"

"I don't think so," Livvi said, glancing at her town map. They'd reached the centre of Goldenrod City some time ago. They were just looking for the central station, their intended destination, since there was a pokémon centre nearby. Livvi really hoped that the chaos with the trains wouldn't mean that there wasn't any room left there.

"Now that we're here, I'm starting to feel a little bit nervous," Alicia sighed, drawing closer to Livvi's side.

"You mean about the gym battle?"

"Yeah…"

"I'm sure you'll be fine." Livvi smiled at her. "We're not going to have time to fight gym battles today, so we'll have plenty of time to train for it."

"Yeah, you're right." Alicia nodded. "And I need to spend some time getting to know my new team member."

"Oh, yeah!" Livvi exclaimed. "I remember you mentioning it on the train. What kind of pokémon did you catch?"

"A slugma," Alicia replied, pulling out the poké ball and showing it to Livvi.

"Wow! Looks tough!" Livvi gasped. "Does it have a name yet?"

"I was thinking of calling him 'Balva'," Alicia replied. "Does it sound weird?"

"No more than the rest of your pokémon's nicknames."

"…So, you think that all of my pokémon have weird nicknames."

"I didn't say that!"

"Ah!" Alicia was suddenly distracted as they rounded a corner. "That looks like the Goldenrod gym!"

Sure enough, a large building facing an open plaza dotted with trees and flower beds stood before them. It sported a large gym logo on the front, high above the door. It certainly seemed quite a bit larger than the Azalea gym.

"Yeah, it's closed." Livvi spotted the sign in the door. All of the lights were off anyway, so it was obvious that there was no one inside. They'd have to come back tomorrow to book slots for their gym battles. "Still, at least we know where to go now!"

"Yeah." Alicia nodded absentmindedly as she put Balva's poké ball away.

"…I'm sure it'll be fine," Livvi said reassuringly, taking Alicia's hand and squeezing it gently.

"Thanks, Livvi." Alicia smiled nervously back at her.

"Anyway, let's get to the pokémon centre first." Livvi checked her town map again. "I think that we need to head in this direction."

The two of them left the plaza and walked along a narrow street packed with small shops, most of which were closed, and a handful of bars full of adults who'd finally left the office for the day. Livvi and Alicia passed by and emerged into another small square.

"Here we are!" Livvi nodded in satisfaction. Ahead of them was the large form of the Goldenrod central train station, where they theoretically should have gotten off. Livvi didn't know if they'd managed to beat their train in, but she'd stopped caring by this stage. They'd gotten to see a bit of the city and they'd reached their destination.

They turned to their left and quickly found the pokémon centre facing the train station across the plaza. Fortunately, it seemed like a large one and the trainer lounge and restaurant didn't seem that busy.

The automatic doors whirred open as they approached. They stepped inside and immediately headed for the reception desk.

"Can we get a room for the night?" Livvi asked.

"Certainly," the receptionist replied. "May I see your trainer card?"

Livvi handed over her card so that the receptionist could take down her details. Then he handed her a pair of card keys.

"Room 31," he said. "Head straight up to the second floor and then turn right in the corridor. It'll be one of the rooms on your left."

"Thank you," Livvi replied as she took the card keys.

"Do you think they're still serving dinner?" Alicia asked as they started walking towards the staircase.

"Probably." Livvi nodded. "Shall we drop our stuff off in the room and then head down for something to eat?"

"Sounds good to me!" Alicia replied eagerly.

* * *

 _9:08am, 21_ _st_ _April 2006_

The sky was gloomy as Livvi and Alicia stepped out onto the practice arena behind the pokémon centre. There was a slight chill in the air which made Livvi feel uncomfortable. She tried to shrug it off as she and Alicia called out their pokémon.

"Have you decided who you're going to use?" she called across.

"I don't think I've got much of a choice…" Alicia replied, looking down at her four pokémon. Ruo, Pari and Balva were all stood to attention patiently. Saffa, on the other hand, was flopping about as usual. She wouldn't be a good choice under any circumstances. A four-on-four battle wouldn't be an easy one with only three effective pokémon.

"Well, you can still choose your order," Livvi said, trying to sound as optimistic as possible. "Look, why don't you think about which would be your best 'scout'?"

"Scout?"

"Yeah, you know – the pokémon you send out first when you don't know what to expect."

"…I don't think I've heard that term before."

"That's because I came up with it just now!" Livvi grinned. "But seriously, who do you think would be best for that sort of thing?"

"Probably Ruo," Alicia replied, sighing as she recalled Saffa. "But wouldn't it be better to keep my best back until later?"

"That's a good point." Livvi nodded. "I bet the gym leader would save their best for later on in the battle too."

"So, maybe I should go with Pari," Alicia said, looking at the dunsparce.

Pari gave an eager nod – he was clearly prepared for the role.

"Ah, that's probably best." Livvi looked at him as well. "I mean, we still don't really know Balva's fighting style after all."

"That's what I was thinking," Alicia replied. "I don't want to be trying to get to grips with my opponent when I still don't know my pokémon that well."

"We should probably do some training then." Livvi beckoned to Dacino as she moved over to one end of the arena.

"Got it." Alicia nodded at Balva.

Both fire types took their positions and stared across the arena at each other. Both glanced back as they waited for their orders.

"Alright, use Harden!" Alicia called.

Balva cried out as he allowed the outer edge of his body to cool and harden.

"Use Smokescreen!" Livvi ordered.

Dacino immediately shot out a cloud of thick, black smoke which concealed his half of the arena. As the scuttling of his footsteps filled the air, his opponent looked around carefully in an attempt to pinpoint his location.

"Use Ember!" Livvi shouted.

A stream of fiery embers suddenly erupted from the cloud and shot towards Balva.

"Counter it with your own Ember!" Alicia quickly ordered.

Balva was quick to respond. Taking a deep breath, he fired a blast of embers at Dacino's approaching attack. Bangs and crackles filled the air as the two attacks collided. Losing their speed, the embers dropped to the ground and burnt out.

"Now use Amnesia!" Alicia yelled.

Balva nodded. A slightly vacant look suddenly came over his face.

"Nice!" Livvi grinned as the smoke cleared. "That really narrows down by options." She nodded at Dacino. "Use Flame Wheel!"

Dacino fired out a small jet of flame and started rolling forwards. The flames surrounded him, creating a fireball as he approached. However, Balva was able to sweep to the side to avoid the attack.

"Use Rock Throw!" Alicia called.

Balva shouted out as he suddenly hardened the lava on his back. Forming it quickly into a decent-sized rock, he arched his back violently to send it flying towards the cyndaquil. Wincing in pain, he quickly started replenishing the lost mass.

Dacino, caught by surprise, took the hit head on and hurled back with a crash.

"Okay! That's enough!" Livvi called out. She walked out across the arena to check on Dacino. "Are you alright?"

Dacino pulled himself up and winced in pain. He cried out determinedly, apparently not wanting to let her down, but Livvi could tell that he'd been hurt more than he was letting on.

"That was a pretty good attack, Alicia!" Livvi grinned at her. "Balva might actually do really well in this gym battle!"

"Y-You think?" Alicia was surprised by the slugma's power. He hadn't seemed particularly powerful when she'd first caught him, and he'd been cornered and afraid back then! "So, should I lead with him instead?"

"Hmm." Livvi pondered the question for a second. "I guess that's your call to make!" She grinned guiltily. "You know your pokémon, after all!"

"Yeah…"

It didn't really help, but Alicia was starting to feel a little more confident about her chances now. Judging by the impressed looks on Ruo and Pari's faces as they ran over and called out to Balva enthusiastically, they were feeling more confident as well.

* * *

 _11:17am, 21_ _st_ _April 2006_

After finishing their training, the two girls had returned to the pokémon centre to heal their pokémon before heading off to the Goldenrod gym. They'd been expecting to find it completely crowded, but, as they'd walked through the door, they'd been greeted with a lobby that was empty apart from the receptionist.

"Welcome to the Goldenrod gym!" she called to them as they looked around. "Are you here for gym battles?"

"That's right." Livvi nodded as the two of them reached the desk. "Are there any slots available today?"

"There's plenty," the receptionist replied. "The earliest in the 11:20 slot."

"That soon?!" Livvi cried in surprise. That wasn't long from now.

"Yeah." The receptionist nodded. "We don't have that many challengers in here – there's one fighting now and another booked in later in the afternoon."

"Well, that works out for us, I guess," Livvi sighed. "But I'd have thought there'd be more challengers in a city this big."

"We have a bit of a reputation," the receptionist replied sheepishly. "It tends to scare off less experienced trainers…"

"I-Is that so…"

Livvi and Alicia looked at each other.

"Well, I won't get better if I don't challenge myself!" Livvi declared.

"S-Same here!" Alicia piped up.

"Glad to hear it!" The receptionist beamed at them. "Can I see your trainer cards?"

"Sure." Livvi reached for her trainer card, but Alicia suddenly darted forwards and slapped her card down onto the desk.

"Thanks." The receptionist picked it up and started tapping away at her keyboard.

"Huh? You're going first?" Livvi asked Alicia in surprise.

"I kinda felt like I might lose my confidence if I waited…" Alicia shifted her foot nervously.

Livvi smiled. "You don't need to be that nervous. I'm sure that the gym leader isn't as tough as the gym's reputation suggests. Right?" She glanced at the receptionist.

"H-Huh?" the receptionist cried, startled by the sudden question. "A-Ah, yeah, sure! That's right!" she stammered unconvincingly. She handed Alicia back her trainer card. "Well, you're all signed up now! Just wait over there until the current challenger leaves."

"S-Sure." Alicia took her card and walked over to sit on one of the sofas while Livvi booked her slot.

Was the gym leader here going to be really strong? That was what the receptionist's reaction suggested, but then the exact level of her strength would be subjective, right? Alicia was confident that her pokémon could handle tough battles now – she was completely changed from when she'd lost her first gym battle against Falkner in Violet City – but would her leadership be enough to lead them to victory?

And just when she'd decided that she wanted to stop being a burden on Livvi, this kind of gym leader had shown up.

She shook her head.

She needed to be strong. She couldn't let the nerves get to her, or she'd be depending on Livvi too much.

As Livvi finished at the desk and started walking over towards her, they both spotted a dejected-looking boy leaving the arena tunnel.

"I can't believe it…" he mumbled as he passed. "That miltank was just unreal…"

Livvi and Alicia watched him as he walked through the automatic doors and out of the building. They shared a quick glance. Alicia's heart gave a jolt as she noticed the nervousness in Livvi's eyes. If Livvi was intimidated too, then what hope did she…

"L-Looks like you're up!" the receptionist called. "Best of luck to you!"

"Y-Yeah!" Livvi gave her a wobbly smile. "You'll be fine! Don't worry about it!"

"Thanks…" Alicia returned the smile and nervously got to her feet.

The two girls shared a final nod before heading their separate ways.

* * *

 _11:20am, 21_ _st_ _April 2006_

As Alicia emerged from the tunnel and found herself standing in the arena, she noticed that there was a pink-haired girl standing at the far end.

"So, you're my next challenger, huh?" she called over to the new arrival. "Welcome to the Goldenrod gym! I was worried that my team and I would have nothing to do until the afternoon!"

"Umm, what are the rules for this gym?" Alicia asked as she reached the challenger's corner.

"Whoa! Hold on there! We haven't even introduced ourselves yet!" the girl called. "I'm Whitney, I'm the leader of the Goldenrod gym!"

"A-Ah! Sorry!" Alicia cried. "I'm Alicia, from Cherrygrove City!"

"Nice to meet you, Alicia!" Whitney grinned. "There's no need for you to be so uptight – we're just have a friendly battle!"

"Umm, so the rules…"

"Oh, right!" Whitney nodded. She turned to the referee. "Did you want to do your thing?"

"Will do!" the referee replied. She stepped forwards to the side line. "This is an official Johto League gym battle between the Goldenrod gym leader, Whitney, and the challenger, Alicia Law from Cherrygrove City! This battle will be fought using a three-on-three single format and will be over when all three of one side's pokémon are unable to battle! In addition, only the challenger may substitute pokémon!"

Up in the stands, Livvi quickly made her way along and sat down to Alicia's left. She'd felt really nervous back in the lobby, but now that she'd seen the gym leader, she felt more at ease. She seemed like a nice person. She briefly caught herself wondering if the gym's reputation was undeserved, but then she remembered the previous challenger leaving the gym.

She frowned. She definitely couldn't afford to underestimate Whitney.

"Are you both ready?" the referee called.

"Sure!" Whitney called enthusiastically, while Alicia nodded.

"Alright, begin!"

Both girls immediately reached for their first poké balls.

"Go, Clefairy!"

"Go, Pari!"

Pari burst out of his poké ball and materialised on the ground. Opposite him, a pink pokémon with stumpy legs and arms and tiny wings on its back materialised in front of Whitney.

"Clefairy?" Alicia quickly pulled out her Pokédex.

" _Clefairy, the fairy pokémon and the evolved form of cleffa. On every night of a full moon, groups of these pokémon come out to play. When dawn arrives, the tired clefairy return to their quiet mountain retreats and go to sleep nestled up against each other. Their adorable appearance makes them popular as pets. However, they are rare and difficult to find._ "

"Alright, start off with Double Slap!" Whitney called.

Clefairy trilled loudly as she raced towards Pari.

"Use Dig!" Alicia quickly yelled, fumbling to put her Pokédex away again.

Pari shouted his understanding and spun his tail. In a split second, he bored a hole in the ground and disappeared from sight. Clefairy halted her attack and looked around cautiously.

"Use Metronome!" Whitney shouted.

"Metronome?" A confused look appeared on Alicia's face.

Clefairy started waggling her finger. A white glow suddenly surrounded it. With a shout, she suddenly fired a jet of water at the ground, harmlessly splashing outwards. Beneath the surface, Pari continued digging without any problems.

"Urgh! I was hoping for Magnitude or Earthquake!" Whitney pouted.

"Wh-What kind of attack was that?!" Alicia cried.

"You've never seen Metronome before?" Whitney grinned. "This is going to be fun!"

At that moment, Pari erupted from the ground and slammed into Clefairy from below, sending the fairy pokémon flying back.

"Use Double Slap!" Whitney immediately called, recovering quickly.

Clefairy charged forwards again and prepared to deliver a volley of slaps to Pari. The dunsparce, however, dove under her arms before spinning around. Clefairy was ready for him, however, and spun just as quickly. Pari wasn't able to dodge the second attack and fell back under the flurry of slaps.

"Use Rage!" Alicia called.

Pari growled as he nodded. He powered himself forwards and slammed into Clefairy. The fairy pokémon let out a cry of pain as she was thrown back. However, she quickly pulled herself back to her feet.

"Use Metronome again!" Whitney called.

Clefairy grinned and nodded before waggling her finger a second time.

"This again?" Alicia glanced at Pari, silently communicating that he should be careful. Pari returned the glance, understanding.

Clefairy's finger glowed white again. Suddenly, she was surrounded in crackling electricity. With a shout, a large bolt of lightning shot up into the air. As it struck the roof of the arena, it bounced back down. Pari shrieked in pain as he was struck directly.

"Pari!" Alicia cried in alarm.

The lightning bolt lasted for only a split second before vanishing, but it was enough to have done a lot of damage. Pari was just about clinging on, but he was covered in scorch marks. Occasional electrical jolts continued to flit across his body, causing his muscles to spasm.

"But it was a water attack before," Alicia gasped. "How could it have changed?"

"Impressed?" Whitney grinned. "Metronome is a move that lets the user use any other attack. But it's completely random – you were really unlucky that you got hit by Thunder!"

"A move with power that you can't predict," Livvi whispered. "If it became a fire type attack and hit Barru…" She frowned. She was starting to see why the Goldenrod gym had acquired its reputation.

"Use Rage!" Alicia called to the wounded Pari.

The dunsparce, mostly recovered from the immediate effects of the electricity and his anger fuelling his power, charged forwards and managed to strike Clefairy while she was off-guard. As she was flung back, however, she was able to recover.

Both pokémon were worn down. Pari was worst, but his repeated attacks had taken their toll on Clefairy as well.

"Use Double Slap again!" Whitney yelled.

Clefairy didn't hesitate. She flung herself forwards in renewed anger and slapped Pari as hard as she could. He endured the first one, but the second sent him flying back. He landed in front of Alicia with a loud crash.

"Dunsparce is unable to battle!" the referee announced. "Clefairy is the winner!"

"Alright!" Whitney cheered. "Great work, Clefairy!"

Clefairy trilled happily in response, clearly thrilled at finally seeing her opponent fall.

Alicia quickly withdrew the exhausted Pari. It was going to be a tough battle from here on. She tightened her grip on her next poké ball. She needed to keep calm and focus.

"Go!" she shouted as she threw the ball. "Use Ember!" she added as the ball popped open and Balva materialised on the ground.

At the same instant that energy around him popped into a burst of sparks, a stream of embers shot forth. Clefairy, not expecting such a sudden attack, was hit directly. She cried in pain as the small embers singed her fur and burnt her skin.

"Now use Rock Throw!" Alicia called. If she could just keep her opponent on the backfoot…

Balva immediately formed a rock on his back and fired it at Clefairy. Still, stunned by the last attack, she didn't have time to dodge. There was a thud as the attack hit and Clefairy was flung back. She smashed to the ground and lay still.

"C-Clefairy is unable to battle!" the referee announced, stunned by the speed of the turnaround. "Slugma is the winner!"

"Wow! You're pretty tough after all!" Whitney gasped as she recalled Clefairy. She smiled at the poké ball. "You did great out there!"

Alicia didn't respond to Whitney's compliment. She was too focused on watching for the moment her next pokémon appeared.

"She's actually doing really well," Livvi murmured. "I just hope that she doesn't let it go to her head."

"Go, Aipom!" Whitney called as she threw out her next poké ball.

The small monkey let out a cry as she burst out and landed nimbly on the ground.

"Use Ember!" Alicia ordered immediately. As Balva fired a burst of embers towards Aipom, she pulled out her Pokédex again.

" _Aipom, the long tail pokémon. An aipom's tail ends in a hand-like appendage. The tail is so powerful that they can use it to grab tree branches and hold themselves in the air. They rely on their tails so much that their real hands are rather clumsy._ "

Aipom nimbly jumped to the side as Balva's attack approached her. A wide grin on her face, she spun and swung her tail in his direction, sending a stream of star-shaped rays towards him. Balva attempted to evade the attack, but was struck anyway and hurled back.

"Are you alright, Balva?" Alicia cried.

Balva let out a shout and reared back up to his normal height.

"Use Rock Throw!" Alicia called as Aipom started darting closer again.

Balva nodded and fired a rock from his back. Aipom dodged the attack once again and dove close to unleash a flurry of swipes on him using her tail.

"Great work, Aipom!" Whitney grinned as Aipom jumped back again. "Now use Rock Smash!"

Aipom called out cheerfully as she dove forwards for another strike, her tail clenched into a fist and glowing a dark red colour.

"Use Harden!" Alicia yelled as Aipom descended.

Balva reacted quickly and stiffened the lava on the outside of his body. Aipom slammed into him, the force of the impact cracking through the hardened shell. But Balva held on, wincing in pain.

Aipom jumped back. As she landed, she grimaced in pain. Though she'd managed to break Balva's armour, it seemed that she'd burnt her tail on the lava beneath.

"Use Swift!" Whitney quickly worked out what was happening and gave her next order.

Aipom nodded and fired another volley of star-shaped rays towards Balva.

"Use Amnesia!" Alicia yelled.

A vacant expression appeared on Balva the instant before he was struck by the rays. As they cleared, he remained upright. Most of the damage appeared to have simply bounced off.

"Now use Ember!" Alicia shouted.

Balva nodded and fired another burst of embers towards Aipom.

"And again!" Alicia shouted as Aipom nimbly dove to the side.

"That aipom is pretty tricky," Livvi sighed, watching as it avoided a second attack before jumping up to use Swift. "I wonder which pokémon I'd use if I were in Alicia's position…"

She'd been alternating between cheering for Alicia and thinking quietly about her own gym battle, though Alicia had been so tied up in the battle that she hadn't noticed. Livvi was trying to learn as much as possible from the battle – what kind of strategies Whitney liked, what kind of attacks she preferred. Though she'd been a trainer for over a year, she'd only been battling extensively for about three weeks. Even with all the attention she was trying to pay to the battle, she was bound to miss something.

Her attention was distracted by a shout as Aipom took a bad hit from a rock thrown by Balva.

"Hang in there, Aipom!" Whitney called.

"Use Ember!" Alicia yelled.

Balva didn't hesitate. He sprayed a stream of embers across the battlefield, striking Aipom once more and forcing her back.

"Now use Rock Throw!" Alicia shouted. She wasn't going to let up. The instant she dropped her guard, Whitney and Aipom would recover and they'd be back to square one.

Balva recognised the urgency in her voice and, despite the injuries he'd picked up during the battle and the depleted magma in his body, he cooled another rock and hurled it at his opponent.

"Look out!" Whitney let out a shout of warning, but Aipom was too slow to react. There was a thud as the rock scored a direct hit and Aipom tumbled to the ground, landing in a heap.

"Aipom is unable to battle!" the referee announced. "Slugma is the winner!"

Alicia was panting too heavily to be able to say anything. With the way Aipom had been darting around, she'd been worried that she'd never score a hit. The adrenaline was pumping through her veins, her focus entirely on the battlefield. She shared a quick nod with Balva as Whitney withdrew Aipom, not hearing what she was saying at all.

She realised that she was shaking slightly.

Though she'd told herself otherwise, there was still a part of her that believed that she wouldn't be able to win this battle on her own. Her heart sank further as she picked up the words 'best pokémon' from Whitney's side of the battlefield as she pulled out her last poké ball.

"Alicia!"

Alicia almost jumped as Livvi's voice rang through the air and cut through her thoughts.

"You've gotten her down to just one pokémon!" Livvi called, a big grin on her face. "You've almost got this battle in the bag! I know you can do it!"

Alicia smiled.

"Sure, I've got this!" she called back, feeling as though the weight of the pressure she'd been putting on herself was lifting slightly. If Livvi believed that she could win, then she could definitely win!

 _Looks like she's got her head back._ Livvi gave a satisfied nod. She knew that it was easy to get too draw into the battle and to forget to look at the bigger picture.

…That being said, though, Livvi had noticed that Alicia tended to put a lot of stock in what she told her. She hoped her encouragement wouldn't make her overconfident.

"Go, Miltank!" Whitney yelled.

A pink cow-like pokémon burst from the ball and landed with a thud on the ground. She looked across at Alicia with a confident grin on her face.

"Ah! I remember hearing that before…" Alicia quickly pulled out her Pokédex.

" _Miltank, the milk cow pokémon. Miltank give over five gallons of milk on a daily basis. Their sweet milk is enjoyed by children and grown-ups alike. People who can't drink milk turn it into yogurt and eat it instead. If they have just had a baby, the milk they produce contains much more nutrition than usual._ "

"It sounds quite…" Alicia couldn't really think of the word. But it definitely didn't seem like a pokémon that would be particularly good at battling…

"Use Defence Curl!" Whitney ordered.

Miltank nodded and curled herself up to conceal her weak points.

"Use Ember!" Alicia called.

Balva quickly fired a blast of embers towards his opponent. He scored a direct hit, but the tiny flames didn't seem to do much damage against Miltank's tough hide.

"Use Rollout!" Whitney shouted.

"Ah!" Alicia gasped as Miltank started rolling forwards at an incredible speed. Within seconds, Balva was struck and hurled back. He landed with a more of a splat than a thud. He grimaced in pain as he forced himself back up. Though it was difficult to see on Balva's semi-fluid body, there was some severe damage.

Miltank, in the meantime was whirling around for a second pass. A second hit would probably finish the already-weakened Balva off, but there was no way that he was agile enough to dodge.

An idea suddenly came to Alicia.

"Dive into the hole!" she yelled.

Balva, initially confused, suddenly realised that he had landed close to the hole Pari had dug earlier. With a quick nod, he darted forwards and dove into it. Miltank sailed harmlessly overhead.

"Now use Ember!" Alicia called.

Balva poked his head back above ground and fired a stream of embers at Miltank. Once again, he scored a direct hit, but the attack still didn't seem to be even bothering her that much.

"Use Rollout again!" Whitney ordered.

Miltank rolled towards Balva with full force.

"Duck down and use Rock Throw!" Alicia shouted.

Balva ducked back into the hole with seconds to spare. As Miltank passed overhead, he fired a rock from his depleted back, slamming into her and sending her flying up into the air. She fell out of her ball as she soared before crashing to the ground with a thud.

"Great work, Balva!" Alicia called with a grin.

"Use Stomp!" Whitney immediately called as Miltank got back up.

With an angry shout, Miltank stormed back over to the hole. Balva immediately scuttled further down the tunnel out of sight, but Miltank wasn't satisfied. Raising her right leg, she slammed in down on the ground with incredible force. There was a sudden cracking sound. Without warning, part of the arena floor gave way and collapsed, sending a cloud of dust into the air.

As it cleared, Balva was visible among the crumbled rocks, knocked unconscious by the cave-in.

"Slugma is unable to battle!" the referee announced. "Miltank is the winner!"

"She's so tough," Alicia murmured almost despairingly as she recalled Balva to his poké ball. She was down to her last one. She couldn't afford to make any mistakes this time. "Go, Ruo!"

Ruo gave a determined cry as he burst out of the ball and landed on the ground. Much larger than his two team mates, he made for a much more impressive sight. He swung the leaf on his head to one side before fixing Miltank with a glare.

"Use Reflect!" Alicia called.

Ruo nodded. He quickly summoned a psychic barrier around himself, protecting him from physical attacks.

"Not bad!" Whitney grinned. "But we'll just smash straight on though!"

Miltank shouted defiantly as she jumped up to begin another roll. As she approached, Ruo darted to one side, but wasn't able to keep up the speed like he'd done as a chikorita. Miltank slammed into him on the second pass and hurled him back. Though he landed with a crash, the damage wasn't too bad.

"Now use Razor Leaf!" Alicia called once she had confirmed that Ruo wasn't badly hurt.

The bayleef threw his leaf to one side, sending a cluster of razor-sharp leaves flying towards Miltank. She let out a cry as they struck and slashed at her. Though she winced in pain at the many cuts, she didn't seem too badly hurt.

"Use Stomp!" Whitney ordered.

Miltank stormed forwards again, knocking Ruo back and slamming her foot into him. Ruo let out a gasp of pain as the air was knocked out of him. He lurched backwards and crashed to the ground. He struggled and pulled himself back up, panting as he tried to regain his breath.

"Use Razor Leaf!" Alicia yelled.

Ruo nodded painfully and hurled another cloud of leaves in Miltank's direction.

"Now use Synthesis!" Alicia called as Miltank was struck by the attack.

Ruo stood the leaf of his lead upright as he absorbed sunlight. Some of the bruises from the previous attacks he'd taken started to heal.

"Use Stomp again!" Whitney shouted.

Miltank, nursing the cuts from Ruo's last attack, looked up and started storming towards the bayleef.

"Use Body Slam!" Alicia yelled.

Ruo dashed forwards as well. The two pokémon met close to the middle of the arena and slammed into each other. Both were bounced back by the force of the impact and crashed to the ground. They both pulled themselves back to their feet.

"Use Rollout!" Whitney yelled.

Miltank tucked herself into a ball and started rolling towards Ruo again.

"Move to the left!" Alicia shouted desperately.

Ruo didn't even pause to acknowledge the command. He dashed to his left before skidding to a halt and turning back to face Miltank.

"Ah! Miltank! Watch out!" Whitney shouted.

Miltank ploughed on and, suddenly, rolled into the rock-filled crater left after she'd destroyed Pari's tunnel. Knocked off-balance, she fell out of her ball and flew through the air.

Straight towards the waiting Ruo.

"Use Body Slam!" Alicia yelled, hardly daring to look.

Ruo gritted his teeth and threw himself towards his opponent. There was a loud smash as they collided. Ruo came off better, using his momentum to throw Miltank back. He landed on his feet while his opponent crashed to the ground closer to Whitney.

"Now use Razor Leaf!" Alicia shouted urgently as Miltank started to pull herself up, the tension and emotion audible in her voice.

Ruo fired a final cluster of leaves. Miltank cried out in pain as she was struck by them. The injuries finally becoming too much, she slumped backwards. There was a thud as she hit the ground.

"Miltank is unable to battle!" the referee announced. "Bayleef is the winner! All three of the gym leader's pokémon are unable to battle, so this match goes to the challenger, Alicia Law from Cherrygrove City!"

"We… did it?" Alicia gasped, the fact that the battle had ended not really sinking in. As the adrenaline wore off, she felt the strength leave her legs. She dropped to the ground, blinking a couple of times as she took in what had happened.

"Wow! What a great battle!" Whitney cried excitedly as she recalled Miltank. She bounced across the arena and patted Ruo on the head. "You're one tough pokémon – I thought we had you for sure!"

Ruo smiled wearily before pulling himself back to his feet and trudging back over towards Alicia.

"Thanks, Ruo." She smiled weakly at him. She suddenly found herself blinking back tears as the bruised and battered bayleef rubbed his nose against her shoulder.

"Need a hand up?" Whitney offered her hand to her.

"Thanks." Alicia took it and stood up again, her legs wobbling slightly as she put her weight on them.

"I had a great time fighting you," said Whitney. "You've definitely earned this." She produced a simple, yellow, square-shaped badge and placed it in Alicia's hands. "This is the Plain Badge – recognition that you were able to beat me and Miltank!"

"Thanks, Whitney." Alicia smiled tiredly.

Up in the stands, Livvi smiled as she stood up. She'd been worried for a while there, but Alicia had just managed to pull through.

Now it was her turn.

* * *

 **So, Alicia manages to narrowly win her battle against Whitney. Somewhat of a misleading title really, given that Alicia has already fought a number of solo battles (including against Falkner at the start of Chapter 3) up to this point…**

 **There isn't really much more I wanted to say for this chapter. We'll have Livvi's gym battle against Whitney in Chapter 9, which should go up after Chapter 32 of** _ **Hoenn**_ **.**

 **As ever, I appreciate any feedback you have on this chapter.**

 **Until next time!**

* * *

 **Team Listings:**

 **Livvi Weston:**

 **Active:**

 **Barru** (Bulbasaur): male, timid, highly persistent, likes sweet food, grass-poison type, Overgrow ability, knows Tackle, Sludge Bomb, Solar Beam and Leech Seed.

 **Cylune** (Venomoth): male, modest, proud of its power, likes dry food, poison-bug type, Shield Dust ability, knows Stun Spore, Psychic, Toxic and Silver Wind.

 **Evoro** (Jolteon): male, jolly, alert to sounds, likes sweet food, electric type, Volt Absorb ability, knows Thunderbolt, Double Team, Double Kick and Quick Attack.

 **Tavro** (Hypno): male, quirky, loves to eat, eats anything, psychic type, Forewarn ability, knows Psychic, Hypnosis, Future Sight and Headbutt.

 **Litine** (Marill): female, mild, good endurance, likes dry food, water type, Thick Fat ability, knows Defence Curl, Tail Whip, Water Gun and Rollout.

 **Dacino** (Cyndaquil): male, adamant, loves to eat, likes spicy food, fire type, Blaze ability, knows Ember, Swift, Flame Wheel and Smokescreen.

 **In Viridian City:**

 **Dorru** (Nidorina): female, quiet, mischievous, likes dry food, poison type, Rivalry ability, knows Fury Swipes, Double Kick, Poison Sting and Crunch.

 **Salea** (Blissey): female, gentle, somewhat vain, likes bitter food, normal type, Natural Cure ability, knows Softboiled, Psychic, Double-Edge and Egg Bomb.

 **Alicia Law:**

 **Active:**

 **Ruo** (Bayleef): male, naughty, often dozes off, likes spicy food, grass type, Overgrow ability, knows Body Slam, Synthesis, Razor Leaf and Reflect.

 **Pari** (Dunsparce): male, quirky, likes to thrash about, eats anything, normal type, Serene Grace ability, knows Rage, Defence Curl, Yawn and Dig.

 **Saffa** (Magikarp): female, rash, often lost in thought, likes dry food, water type, Swift Swim ability, knows Splash.

 **Balva** (Slugma): male, hasty, a little quick tempered, likes sweet food, fire type, Flame Body ability, knows Harden, Rock Throw, Ember and Amnesia.


	9. Plain and Simple!

**Hello and welcome to another chapter of** _ **Pokémon Journey: Livvi's Johto Scrapbook**_ **!**

 **Last chapter saw Alicia fight and defeat Whitney of the Goldenrod gym to earn her third overall gym badge and the first that she's won without Livvi's direct involvement. With Alicia's battle over, the focus now shifts onto Livvi…**

 **Upload Date: 11** **th** **October 2017**

* * *

 **Chapter 9: Plain and Simple!**

 _Goldenrod City, Johto_

 _11:48am, 21_ _st_ _April 2006_

Alicia hovered anxiously in the lobby of the Goldenrod gym. She fidgeted and looked around the room as she waited. It felt very strange to think that so much had happened within the last hour. Both her victory over Whitney and earning her third gym badge and then…

She looked up as she spotted movement from the end of the passage leading down towards the arena. Livvi emerged into the lobby, head pointed down and taking heavy steps forwards. Alicia walked gingerly over to her.

"Umm." She struggled to think of what to say. "I'm sure that…"

"It's okay. You don't have to say anything," Livvi replied with a hollow sigh. "Let's just go back to the pokémon centre for now."

Before Alicia could say anything else, Livvi had already started walking again. Running to catch up, Alicia gave her a worried look but remained silent. She was struggling to work out how to react to the situation. To her, Livvi was like a shining beacon – someone for her to aspire to be like. To see her like this… she didn't know how to react, or if there was even anything she could say or do to help.

What had started out as a promising battle against Whitney had suddenly been flipped on its head. Cylune, Evoro and finally Barru had all fallen to that miltank of hers. As much as she wanted to come up with excuses and covers, even Alicia couldn't deny that her mentor and friend had suffered a crushing defeat.

And that was what was leaving her confused and conflicted.

She'd subconsciously built Livvi up in her mind as an unassailable figure, someone who would always be able to see things through – it was why she'd relied on her so much in her first gym battles. Faced with this, Alicia had suddenly realised just how much she truly relied on Livvi. She'd come to view a bit like an older sister, someone who could teach her and show her how to succeed.

She'd never seen Livvi lose a battle before. She didn't know how to react to it. And it was times like this that she most looked to Livvi for guidance.

But that wasn't possible, and Alicia was left not knowing exactly what she should do. Or, indeed, what she _could_ do. Still, she would do anything, _anything_ , that she could to help her. Training, carrying things for her – even if she told her to keep away, then, as much as it would pain her, she would comply.

Actually, that last thought had come from a fear that Livvi's loss had been caused by her. What if she'd spent so much time working to help Alicia improve that she hadn't been able to train herself? What if she was dragging her precious friend down because of her own lack of skill? It wouldn't come as a surprise if Livvi didn't want anything to do with her anymore…

Alicia bit her lip as she fretted over what to do next. By her side, Livvi remained silent as they continued back to the pokémon centre.

* * *

 _12:04pm, 21_ _st_ _April 2006_

Alicia sat on her bunk in her and Livvi's room at the pokémon centre. She twiddled her thumbs nervously as she thought about what to do next. Livvi had stopped off at the reception desk to drop off her injured pokémon and had told her to go on ahead, so she had a chance to get her thoughts in order and work out what would be the best thing to say to her.

Perhaps if she focused on being optimistic and enthusiastic about the rematch? It had worked on Alicia herself, so maybe it would work on Livvi too. At the same time, though, she didn't want to antagonise Livvi at all. If it really was her fault…

Alicia screwed her eyes shut and let out a muffled groan as she shook her head, her pigtails swinging from side to side. Kicking off her shoes, she threw herself down onto the bed and grabbed her pillow. Squeezing it in both arms, she tried to dispel those thoughts.

She let out a sigh.

Though they'd been travelling together for a while, she still didn't know all that much about Livvi. Was she the kind of person who'd be forgiving if she lost because of Alicia. What would have happened if they'd lost one of their tag gym battles? Would she have been angry? Would she have demanded that they stop travelling together?

Livvi didn't seem like that kind of person, but, as Alicia knew better than most, people could sometimes be completely different to how they seemed at first glance.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard the sound of the door suddenly being opened. She propped herself up on her left elbow as Livvi entered the room. "U-Umm…"

Before she could say anything, Livvi stopped in the middle of the room. She took a deep breath and then clapped her hands against her cheeks.

"Right!" she declared. "That's enough feeling sorry for myself!"

"H-Huh?!" Alicia gasped in surprise.

"Sorry." Livvi gave her a guilty smile. "You were probably worried about me, right?" She glanced out of the window at the sky as she continued speaking. "I've lost battles before, so I'm used to this feeling. But I shouldn't have made you worry about my problems as well."

There was a squeak from the bed springs as Alicia suddenly sprang up and threw herself at Livvi. She fastened her arms around her back and buried her face in her chest.

"H-Huh?!"

"I'm so glad!" Alicia choked.

"A-Are you crying?!" Livvi cried in alarm. She subconsciously moved to pat the younger girl on the head. "I'm really sorry that I worried you like that!"

"I was worried that you wouldn't want to travel with me anymore!" Alicia wailed.

"Of course, I want to keep travelling with you!" Livvi exclaimed. "What gave you that idea?"

"I thought that maybe you lost because you'd spent so much time helping me train and not enough time on yourself!"

A gentle smile formed on Livvi's face as she stroked Alicia's head. "No, I lost because I let the pressure get to me. If anything, you've been a big help with training!"

"Really?" Alicia looked up at her and wiped her eyes.

"Sure!" Livvi nodded. "That's why I want you to help me train for my rematch."

"Of course! I'll do anything I can!" Alicia replied enthusiastically. "Do you want to head out right now?"

"You don't need to be _that_ enthusiastic!" Livvi laughed. "My team and I need to rest anyway. How about we go out tomorrow?"

"Sure!" Alicia nodded cheerfully in response.

* * *

 _8:57am, 22_ _nd_ _April 2006_

"Use Rage!" Alicia cried.

In front of her, Pari sprang forwards in the direction of his opponent.

"Use Double Kick!" Livvi ordered.

With a nod, Evoro bounded across the arena, planning to meet Pari in the middle. As the dunsparce made to launch his attack, Evoro came at him from the side with two quick and powerful kicks. Pari was thrown back with a thud.

"Stay strong, Pari!" Alicia called anxiously as the dunsparce righted himself and started bouncing back forwards again. He let out a cry in response.

However, as Alicia was preparing her next order, he suddenly let out a high-pitched shriek that pierced the air and caused everyone nearby to clutch their ears in pain.

"Wh-What was that!" Alicia cried as the noise subsided.

"That's Screech!" Livvi called over to her, rubbing her ears painfully. "One of my friends has a pokémon that can use that move!"

"What does it do?" Alicia asked.

"It makes the opponent less able to defend themselves," Livvi explained. "See how Evoro could only focus on trying to keep out the sound? If you hit him with an attack, then he won't be able to block it or dodge it as easily."

"Wow!" Alicia gasped. "Great work, Pari!"

Pari gave a satisfied nod in response.

"But you're still wide open now!" Livvi grinned. "Use Thunderbolt!"

Evoro let out a cry, shooting a bolt of electricity at Pari. The dunsparce cried out in pain as he was struck and electrocuted. He rolled backwards in exhaustion.

"It won't normally be like that!" Alicia quickly exclaimed. "We were just distracted for a moment!"

"It's okay!" Livvi laughed. "We're only training at the moment, after all!"

Deciding to take a break, the two of them walked over to the side of the practice arena, where the rest of their pokémon were sparring with each other.

"Keep up the good work, guys!" Livvi grinned as she sat down on one of the benches. She shivered slightly – the bench was cold to touch.

"What should we work on next?" Alicia asked as she sat down on Livvi's other side.

"Good question," Livvi sighed. "What we really need is either more brute force, or some way of keeping that miltank from rolling around so much…"

"I'm not sure if Barru and Cylune are pokémon who can really go up against Miltank with brute force," Alicia murmured. "I mean, they aren't big pokémon."

"It's the same with Evoro as well." Livvi nodded. "Well, a bit anyway."

That left them with finding a way to stop Miltank's rolling.

"Do we have any pokémon we can practise on?" Alicia asked.

"Hmm." Livvi pondered for a couple of seconds, quickly running through her team in her head. "Oh! Litine can use Rollout as well!"

"Then how about we practise trying to stop her when she's using it?" Alicia suggested.

"Sounds like a great idea to me!" Livvi nodded enthusiastically. She turned to call over to Litine, who was training with Tavro, when there was a sudden commotion.

A dark, black cloud had suddenly formed over their heads. As Livvi and Alicia were momentarily left wondering where it had come from, fat rain drops suddenly started dropping from it. Within a matter of seconds, rain was pouring down onto them with the vigour of a storm.

"What's happening?!" Livvi yelped in alarm as she jumped up and dashed away.

It was as she found the rain suddenly stopping that she realised that the sudden rainfall was only happening over that one location.

"It must be something that the pokémon did!" Alicia said as she stopped alongside Livvi. The rest of the pokémon, with the exception of Saffa, had quickly scarpered out from under the heavy rain and came to join them.

"Ah! Now that I look at it, I think I know this move!" Livvi exclaimed. "I think it's a water type move called 'Rain Dance'!"

"A move that causes it to rain?" Alicia asked. "Is it… useful?"

"Apparently it powers up water type attacks," Livvi replied. "So water type pokémon tend to learn it…"

"Water types, huh?"

Both Livvi and Alicia looked at Litine, who was trying her best to look as nonchalant as possible. However, a quick glance at the rest of the pokémon told them who was to blame for the cloud.

"We know that it was you," Livvi said, raising an eyebrow.

Not fazed, Litine quickly started pointing at Saffa, who was flopping around in a puddle created by the continuing rain.

"Magikarp can only learn Splash, Tackle and Flail," said Livvi. She let out a sigh. "But it doesn't really matter – the important thing is that you learned a new move, Litine!"

Now the marill seemed keen to own up!

"I guess this is a good opportunity to get back to training," Alicia sighed, glancing over at the now-soaked bench.

"Yeah." Livvi nodded, standing up again after bending down to pat Litine on the head. "It looks like Rain Dance lasts from quite a while."

"Well, I'll take Litine then," Alicia said as she moved past Livvi. "We just need to use Rollout and leave you to figure out a way to stop it, right?"

"If you've got any suggestions as well, then feel free to share them!" Livvi replied, a firm smile on her face.

* * *

 _1:16pm, 22_ _nd_ _April 2006_

Partway through that morning's training session, Livvi had popped back to the Goldenrod gym to book herself a slot for her rematch. She was in luck – there was one available in the early afternoon.

So, with their training finished and their lunch eaten, Livvi and Alicia had returned to the gym and sat in the lobby while they waited. In the silence, they could occasionally hear the sounds of battle coming from down in the main arena.

"…"

Alicia wasn't entirely sure what she should say to Livvi. Though she'd been attempting to remain upbeat and optimistic, she was quite clearly nervous. Alicia would have been the same if she were in the same position.

There wasn't really all that much left that they could say. They'd talked about battle plans, possible strategies and counters that Livvi could use during training. And it was difficult to make small talk when all the two of them could think of was the upcoming battle. All Alicia would really be able to do was to wish Livvi good luck and then hope that things went in her favour.

The sounds of battle had finally ceased. It was almost time.

As Livvi and Alicia stood and started walking over in the direction of the passage to the arena and the stairs to the stands, a disheartened girl emerged into the lobby. She passed by without saying a single word. The result of the battle was clear.

"So, umm," Alicia began awkwardly, turning to look at Livvi. "Do your best! I know you can win!"

"Thanks, Alicia." Livvi smiled in response. "I'll give it everything I've got! Make sure you cheer for me from the stands!"

"I will!" Alicia nodded vigorously. "Good luck!"

Livvi waved to her as they parted ways.

It was time.

* * *

 _1:19pm, 22_ _nd_ _April 2006_

"Nice to see you again!" Whitney called as Livvi approached her from across the arena.

"Same!" Livvi called back instinctively.

As she reached the edge of the arena, her opponent nodded at the referee.

"This is an official Johto League gym battle between the Goldenrod gym leader, Whitney, and the challenger, Olivia Weston from Viridian City!" the referee shouted. "This battle will be fought using a three-on-three single format and will be over when one side has no more pokémon that can battle! In addition, only the challenger will be allowed to substitute pokémon! Are you both ready?"

Livvi and Whitney both nodded.

"Begin!"

"Go, Cylune!" Livvi moved first, throwing out her first poké ball.

Cylune cried out as he burst from the ball and started hovering above the arena.

"Go, Lickitung!" Whitney called, hurling her poké ball through the air.

The pink form of a lickitung emerged from the ball, her long tongue swinging around as she watched her opponent carefully.

"A lickitung?" Alicia gasped, watching the scene from up in the stands. She quickly pulled out her Pokédex and pointed it at Whitney's pokémon.

" _Lickitung, the licking pokémon. Whenever a lickitung comes across something new, it will unfailingly give it a lick. They do so because they memorise things by texture and by taste. They are somewhat put off by sour things. Their tongue, twice the length of their body, can be moved like an arm for grabbing food and attacking._ "

"It sounds like a tough pokémon," Alicia sighed as she put her Pokédex away. She cast a worried glance down at Livvi.

"Okay!" she called. "Cylune, use Toxic!"

Cylune nodded and fired a blast of toxic venom towards Lickitung, who smoothly dodged to the side and charged back towards the venomoth. Attempting to slam into him from below, Lickitung was thwarted at the last minute as Cylune rapidly gained height.

"Use Stun Spore!" Livvi ordered.

Cylune quickly dropped a cloud of yellow spores down onto Lickitung, who made a valiant attempt to escape, but was far too slow. She slowed down as she inhaled the spores, her muscles seizing up and refusing to move.

"Use Lick!" Whitney called.

Lickitung focused her efforts and managed to break through the effects of paralysis briefly. Shooting out her tongue at a lightning speed, she whipped it around and slammed it into Cylune. The venomoth was knocked back, but managed to regain his balance. He gave his trainer a reassuring nod as he flew forwards again.

"Phew!" Livvi sighed in relief. "Use Psychic!" she called.

Cylune's eyes immediately lit up with a psychic power. Lickitung was lifted into the air and hurled back. There was a crash as she hit the arena floor, briefly sending up a cloud of dust.

"It's a good start," Alicia mused, watching Livvi in concern. But then, the start of her last battle had gone well too. Cylune had had little trouble dispatching Clefairy, but then Miltank had appeared on the battlefield. It had all gone downhill from there.

Admittedly, Livvi and Cylune were playing it much safer this time than they had before. Their attacks were much more restrained and they were constantly watching for possible counter attacks.

With a whoosh, Lickitung's tongue swept through the air. Crying out instinctively, Cylune ducked down just enough for the attack to sail past him.

"Use Silver Wind!" Livvi shouted.

Cylune flapped his wings, a powerful blast of air filled with silver particles driving forwards. Lickitung was battered under the assault, the particles striking her body as they rushed past. However, the normal type stepped forwards once again, a determined look on her face.

"Alright, Lickitung, use Refresh!" Whitney shouted.

"Refresh?!" Livvi exclaimed.

Lickitung quickly surrounded herself in a green aura. The occasional spasms from her paralysed muscles started to vanish and her slow, hard movements suddenly became fluid again.

"Now use Slam!" Whitney yelled.

Lickitung didn't hesitate. Charging forwards, she slammed into Cylune with a powerful hit, taking advantage of his and his trainer's shock at the sudden reversal. He crashed backwards, but rolled back onto his front and took off again.

"Whitney's really not holding back at all…" Alicia sighed as she watched the two pokémon continue to exchange attacks. "If Livvi can't wrap this up before Miltank appears, then…"

Down in the arena, that exact thought had also crossed Livvi's mind.

It wasn't enough just to beat Lickitung. She needed to knock her out quickly, with as little more damage to Cylune as possible. If she lost the venomoth here, then the entire rest of her plan might fall apart.

But Lickitung's tough defence meant that it was going to be a long slog breaking through. She needed to think of a different strategy.

"Use Psychic!" she called to Cylune as he deftly avoided Lickitung's tongue.

The venomoth cried out in acknowledgement. His eyes lit up with a bright blue colour as he lifted Lickitung into the air.

"Use Lick!" Whitney yelled.

"Keep her at a distance!" Livvi shouted.

Lickitung fired her tongue towards Cylune, who immediately hurled her back through the air. Lickitung's tongue reached its full extension, stopping mere inches from Cylune's face. He and Livvi didn't pause though.

"Throw her down and use Silver Wind!" Livvi ordered.

Cylune instantly dropped his eyes. Lickitung was hurled down to the ground with a crash, her long tongue thudding down with her. The venomoth flapped his wings once more and fired a powerful gust of wind full of silver particles towards Lickitung.

The normal type cried out as she was struck, the powerful blast hammering into her. Nonetheless, she managed to pull herself back up and turned to face Cylune again.

"Use Silver Wind again!" Livvi called.

 _We should quite a bit of damage with this_ , she thought as Cylune started flapping his wings again. That, of course, was only part of her plan though. The particles in the wind that Cylune was now blowing at Lickitung were actually old scales from the venomoth's body. Getting rid of them made Cylune's body tougher, his attacks sharper and his speed increase. They'd grow stronger as Lickitung grew weaker.

Best of all, they'd be able to reuse that strength when Miltank appeared.

"Use Slam!" Whitney ordered.

Lickitung, weary from the repeated attacks, rushed forwards once more. She jumped into the air to try and reach Cylune.

"Use Psychic!" Livvi yelled.

Cylune reacted instantly. With a flash from his eyes, Lickitung suddenly lost momentum. She stopped in mid-air, her body surrounded by a psychic aura. The glow in Cylune's eyes suddenly grew as he hurled her back to the ground. There was a loud thud as Lickitung hit the ground.

"Lickitung is unable to battle!" the referee announced. "Venomoth is the winner!"

"Whew!" Livvi let out a sigh of relief. "Great work out there, Cylune!"

Cylune trilled happily in response as he watched Lickitung being withdrawn. Despite their success, both were watching carefully for their next opponent. They couldn't afford to relax yet.

Whitney gave a satisfied nod as she pulled out her next poké ball. "You've got a much better look in your eyes this time!" she called. "You got waaaay too relaxed after beating Clefairy yesterday!"

"…"

Livvi didn't respond, she was too busy focusing on the poké ball in Whitney's hand. There was a chance that she would send out a different pokémon entirely, just to try and throw her off. But, even in that case, her plan remained the same. She needed to hit Whitney's next pokémon as hard as possible and as quickly as possible. The instant she could, she would strike.

"Go, Miltank!" Whitney called.

Feelings of both relief and dread filled Livvi's heart in a bizarre mix as Miltank burst from her ball and landed on the ground with a loud thud.

"Use Toxic!" Livvi ordered immediately.

Cylune was quick to respond. He fired a blast of toxic venom at Miltank, scoring a direct hit on his startled opponent. She hadn't expected Cylune to move as quickly as he had. The sudden shuddering and a cold sweat starting to break out on her forehead confirmed that Cylune had achieved what he set out to do.

"Use Defence Curl!" Whitney yelled, unfazed by the sudden status condition. As Miltank curled herself up into a ball, she quickly added: "Now Rollout!"

Just as Livvi and Cylune had been expecting.

Miltank steamrollered her way across the battlefield, drawing close to Cylune, who quickly shot up into the air at the last moment. He propelled a blast of air full of silver particles as he did, the attack hitting Miltank but apparently not disrupting her.

"Use Psychic!" Livvi shouted.

Cylune's eyes immediately lit up. He grabbed Miltank and hurled her back with a crash.

"Use Stomp!" Whitney immediately shouted.

Miltank pulled herself back to her feet and nodded. Rushing forwards, she made an attempt to stamp down on Cylune as he swept close to the ground. However, he quickly pulled up again and grabbed her with Psychic.

"Use Defence Curl!" Whitney yelled as Miltank was thrown back towards the ground.

Miltank nodded. She curled herself up just in time and protected herself from the impact. Using the momentum, she started rolling and tore back towards Cylune.

"Use Psychic!" Livvi ordered again.

Cylune nodded and started focusing. However, he wasn't able to get a fix on Miltank before she launched herself into the air and smashed into him. The venomoth crashed to the ground with a thud, suffering heavy damage from the blow. However, he wasn't out of the match yet.

"Finish him off with Stomp!" Whitney called.

Miltank reacted quickly. Wincing again the pain of the poison still spreading through her body, she popped out of her ball and slammed down on Cylune before he had a chance to get back in the air. As she jumped back again, the venomoth lay motionless on the ground.

"Venomoth is unable to battle!" the referee announced. "Miltank is the winner!"

"You tried your best, Cylune!" Livvi gritted her teeth as she recalled Cylune. She'd managed to poison Miltank this time, which was something. But other than that, it seemed as though her battle was going the exact same way as the previous one.

"Livvi…" Alicia murmured worriedly, gazing down at the trainer as she reached for her next ball. She hoped that the tactics they worked on together earlier in the day would work.

"Go, Barru!" Livvi yelled, throwing out the ball containing her starter.

Barru cried out determinedly as he materialised on the ground.

"Use Leech Seed!" Livvi shouted.

Barru didn't hesitate. He immediately fired a cluster of seeds at Miltank. This time, however, she was ready for it and jumped back from the attack.

"That was a close one!" Whitney sighed with relief. She nodded at Miltank. "Hit 'em hard with Rollout!"

Miltank grinned back as she tucked herself into a ball and started rolling towards Barru.

"Watch out!" Livvi cried.

Barru moved seconds too late. He was struck by Miltank and sent flying back. He landed with a crash just in front of Livvi.

"Are you okay?" she asked, bending down in concern.

Barru pulled himself back to his feet and gave himself a shake before nodding. There was a fierce look in his eyes. It was hardly surprising, really. The previous battle had been the first time she'd used Barru in a gym battle and he'd ended up losing. This was a matter of pride!

"…I think I've got an idea," Livvi whispered.

"You ready to continue?" Whitney called over as Livvi spoke quietly with Barru.

"Sorry for the hold up!" Livvi called back, standing up straight again. "Use Tackle!"

Barru nodded and charged forwards.

"Use Rollout!" Whitney was quick to order a response.

Miltank, still whirling around the far half of the arena, changed course and charged straight at Barru. The two pokémon met in the middle, though Barru was easily the worst off.

Alicia covered her eyes instinctively as Barru was hurled aside again. But, when she opened them again, it was Miltank and Whitney who looked troubled.

"That's..!" Whitney gasped.

A small cluster of seeds had attached to Miltank's body. They had started sprouting, the roots digging into her and draining her energy. Across the battlefield, Barru shuddered in relief as he felt fresh energy flowing into him.

"You did it!" Livvi grinned in relief. From here on, she could just focus on avoiding attacks and wait for the combined effects of poison and Leech Seed to bring Miltank down.

However, she wasn't content to let it end that way.

"Barru, return!" she called.

Much to his disappointment, Barru was struck by the red recall beam and returned to his poké ball.

Livvi quickly put the ball away and pulled out another one. "Go, Evoro!"

The jolteon called out as he burst from the ball and landed on the ground.

"Use Double Kick!" Livvi ordered.

Evoro immediately took off, charging towards Miltank with a burst of speed. He knocked her back with a pair of swift kicks.

"Are you alright, Miltank?" Whitney called.

Miltank staggered backwards, wincing in pain. However, she stepped forwards once again.

"Use Rollout!" Whitney shouted.

Miltank immediately tucked herself into a ball and charged towards Evoro again. After a brief exchange of attempts to outmanoeuvre each other, Miltank was finally able to clip Evoro and sent him flying. As he struggled back to his feet, Miltank was already circling around for the next attack.

Letting out a loud shout, Evoro suddenly fired electricity at the ceiling. He gritted his teeth and tensed himself up.

"Thunderbolt!" Livvi yelled as Miltank approached.

Evoro fired a blast of electricity at his opponent, scoring a direct hit. However, Miltank continued on and smashed into him. He landed heavily on the ground.

"Evoro, return!" Livvi quickly called, recognising that Miltank was still coming.

The jolteon was hit by the recall beam and returned to the poké ball.

It was good that she'd managed to keep both Barru and Evoro at this stage – she was starting to do better than she had the previous day. Besides, Evoro had created an opportunity for Barru to exploit.

"Go, Barru!"

Barru burst out of his poké ball and landed back on the arena floor.

"Use Solar Beam!" Livvi yelled.

Noting the urgency in her voice, Barru immediately started absorbing light.

"Keep going, Miltank!" Whitney shouted.

Miltank, still rolling, spun around to charge at the bulbasaur.

"Oh no!" Alicia gasped. Solar Beam took a while to charge up. Barru would be completely exposed for all that time!

However, no sooner had the thought crossed her mind when Barru suddenly aimed the top of his bulb towards Miltank. There was a flash as a beam of light struck the approaching pokémon with full force.

The light faded. Miltank staggered to one side, struggling to keep herself up against the impact of the attack and the effects of Leech Seed and poison. Finally, she toppled to the ground with a crash.

"Miltank is unable to battle!" the referee called. "Bulbasaur is the winner!"

"How?" Whitney gasped. "Solar Beam usually needs time to charge up."

Livvi didn't say anything, but she glanced upwards.

Whitney followed her gaze. She suddenly realised that the arena lights were much brighter than they normally were. The pieces suddenly fell into place.

"Your jolteon…"

"Yeah." Livvi nodded. "We supercharged the lights so that Barru could use Solar Beam in one go. I thought it was the only way we'd be able to use it without being knocked out by Rollout!"

"Wow!" Alicia beamed down at the arena. She'd never have thought of using the arena lights like that. In fact, she normally didn't even notice the lights. But Livvi had spotted an opportunity there. She needed to become better at noticing opportunities like that.

Down in the arena, Whitney had withdrawn Miltank and pulled out her last poké ball.

"Go, Clefairy!"

Clefairy called out as she burst from the ball and landed on the arena floor.

"Use Metronome!" Whitney immediately shouted.

Clefairy nodded and started wagging her finger. After a couple of seconds, she suddenly rushed forwards, extending her leg as she approached Barru.

The bulbasaur let out a startled cry as Clefairy tripped him up. He landed on his belly, but he quickly pulled himself back to his feet.

"Use Sludge Bomb!" Livvi shouted.

Barru immediately fired a blast of poisonous sludge at Clefairy, striking her before she had the chance to pull back.

"Now use Tackle!" Livvi yelled, surged on by a feeling that the battle was close to its end.

"Use Double Slap!" Whitney shouted.

Both pokémon charged at each other, Clefairy viciously slapping at Barru in the half-second before he crashed into her front. Both pokémon fell in a pile and, for a couple of seconds, both struggled to disentangle themselves from the mess.

"Use Metronome!" Whitney shouted as Clefairy pulled herself free.

"Use Solar Beam!" Livvi yelled.

Both pokémon jumped to attention. Barru started absorbing light, the extra power Evoro had given the lights having worn off. Clefairy started wagging her finger furiously. The resulting scene looked so surreal that Alicia had to stifle a giggle.

Clefairy finished first and suddenly sprang towards Barru so quickly that she was already upon him by the time he and Livvi had registered the fact that she'd moved. The fast tackle knocked Barru back, but he stubbornly held his ground. Straining his body, gritting his teeth and shouting his defiance, he lowered his bulb and fired a bright beam of light at Clefairy.

An explosion echoed around the arena, a cloud of smoke and dust being thrown into the air. From the epicentre, Clefairy was hurled back, trailing smoke and singed fur. She crashed to the ground with a thud and lay still.

A powerful feeling suddenly surged through Livvi, from the bottom of her feet all the way up to her head. It made her momentarily feel dizzy as she heard the referee's announcement.

"Clefairy is unable to battle! Bulbasaur is the winner! All of Whitney's pokémon are unable to battle, so the winner of this match is the challenger, Olivia Weston from Viridian City!"

Livvi let out a long sigh, allowing the tension that had built up to flow out of her. She took a couple of unsteady steps forwards before running towards Barru.

The exhausted bulbasaur grinned happily at her as she approached. She scooped him up into her arms and hugged him. They didn't need to speak. They both knew what the other wanted to communicate.

 _Thank you_.

Up in the stands, Alicia, who'd been perched on the edge of her seat, finally let herself relax.

"She did it…" she sighed. This whole experience had showed her a completely different side of Livvi.

The Livvi who faced defeat with determination and fought fiercely to redeem herself.

Alicia couldn't help but smile. She hadn't thought that it was possible for her to respect Livvi any more than she already did, but she'd been proved wrong. She was even happier than normal that they were travelling together.

"Well, congrats on winning!" Whitney said as she walked over. Though she was keeping her voice steady, she looked about ready to burst into tears. It reminded Livvi a lot of how she herself had felt the previous day.

Whitney pulled out a small, square-shaped badge. "Here. This Plain Badge is for you."

"Thanks!" Livvi reached out and took the badge. "You're one of the toughest trainers I've ever fought. It means a lot that I've earned this badge."

"I'm glad you feel that way!" Whitney choked. She burst into tears.

"A-Ah! Don't cry!" Livvi cried in alarm.

"She gets like this after battles sometimes," the referee said as she walked over to join them. "She'll be fine in a little bit." She gave Livvi and approving nod. "Congratulations on winning! It was a well-deserved win!"

"Thank you very-"

At that moment, the lights suddenly died, plunging the arena into darkness.

* * *

 _5:41pm, 22_ _nd_ _April 2006_

"Your pokémon are fighting fit again," the nurse said as she handed Livvi Cylune, Evoro and Barru's poké balls. "They were in much better shape than they were when you brought them in after yesterday's battle."

"That's a relief," Livvi sighed. She gave a half-hearted smile as she took them.

"Hmm? I thought that you beat Whitney this time," the nurse said, giving her a confused look. "Why the long face?"

"She kinda accidentally shorted out all of the lights at the gym," Alicia explained sheepishly. "And possibly the building next door as well…"

"It was an accident…"

"Ah, well, these things happen!" The nurse grinned at her. "Why, I remember back when I was travelling with my pokémon and we…"

"Excuse me! My pokémon need attention!"

The nurse was interrupted by the arrival of another trainer. She quickly excused herself from Livvi and Alicia and addressed the new arrival.

Their business concluded, the two girls turned and headed back to the trainers' lounge. It was starting to get quite busy, so they needed to move fast if they wanted to get a sofa.

"So, what's the plan now?" Alicia asked as they sat down.

"I guess we should figure out where the next gym is," Livvi replied, reaching to pull out her town map.

"Which one is closest?" Alicia asked, laying her head on Livvi's shoulder as she gazed at the map.

"Probably here." Livvi pointed to a city north of Goldenrod. "Ecruteak City."

"Sounds good to me!" Alicia smiled up at her. "Shall we set off tomorrow?"

"That's what I was thinking." Livvi nodded. "I was thinking of seeing if there's a route we can take that will get us out of the city for a bit."

"I like that idea! We should see if we can find somewhere with lots of wild pokémon!"

"I'll see what I can do!" Livvi grinned.

* * *

 **Now Livvi has managed to win her first gym badge by herself as well (with Barru getting to play a part for the first time too!).**

 **There's not really much I want to say about this chapter, so I'll keep things brief. I haven't had the chance to give this chapter a proper look over, so there may be some small errors here and there.**

 **As ever, I appreciate any feedback you have on this chapter.**

 **Until next time!**

* * *

 **Team Listings:**

 **Livvi Weston:**

 **Active:**

 **Barru** (Bulbasaur): male, timid, highly persistent, likes sweet food, grass-poison type, Overgrow ability, knows Tackle, Sludge Bomb, Solar Beam and Leech Seed.

 **Cylune** (Venomoth): male, modest, proud of its power, likes dry food, poison-bug type, Shield Dust ability, knows Stun Spore, Psychic, Toxic and Silver Wind.

 **Evoro** (Jolteon): male, jolly, alert to sounds, likes sweet food, electric type, Volt Absorb ability, knows Thunderbolt, Double Team, Double Kick and Quick Attack.

 **Tavro** (Hypno): male, quirky, loves to eat, eats anything, psychic type, Forewarn ability, knows Psychic, Hypnosis, Future Sight and Headbutt.

 **Litine** (Marill): female, mild, good endurance, likes dry food, water type, Thick Fat ability, knows Defence Curl, Rain Dance, Water Gun and Rollout.

 **Dacino** (Cyndaquil): male, adamant, loves to eat, likes spicy food, fire type, Blaze ability, knows Ember, Swift, Flame Wheel and Smokescreen.

 **In Viridian City:**

 **Dorru** (Nidorina): female, quiet, mischievous, likes dry food, poison type, Rivalry ability, knows Fury Swipes, Double Kick, Poison Sting and Crunch.

 **Salea** (Blissey): female, gentle, somewhat vain, likes bitter food, normal type, Natural Cure ability, knows Softboiled, Psychic, Double-Edge and Egg Bomb.

 **Alicia Law:**

 **Active:**

 **Ruo** (Bayleef): male, naughty, often dozes off, likes spicy food, grass type, Overgrow ability, knows Body Slam, Synthesis, Razor Leaf and Reflect.

 **Pari** (Dunsparce): male, quirky, likes to thrash about, eats anything, normal type, Serene Grace ability, knows Rage, Screech, Yawn and Dig.

 **Saffa** (Magikarp): female, rash, often lost in thought, likes dry food, water type, Swift Swim ability, knows Splash.

 **Balva** (Slugma): male, hasty, a little quick tempered, likes sweet food, fire type, Flame Body ability, knows Harden, Rock Throw, Ember and Amnesia.


	10. Showdown in the National Park

**Hello and welcome to another chapter of** _ **Pokémon Journey: Livvi's Johto Scrapbook**_ **!**

 **After last chapter saw Livvi finally defeat Whitney and earn the Plain Badge, she and Alicia have now set their sights on the city of Ecruteak to the north for their next destination.**

 **Upload Date: 8** **th** **November 2017**

* * *

 **Chapter 10: Showdown in the National Park**

 _National Park, Johto_

 _3:21pm, 23_ _rd_ _April 2006_

On their way through the metropolis towards Ecruteak City, Alicia had suddenly become excited when, while studying the town map with Livvi, she had noticed that the 'National Park', a large area full of nature that had been set aside for the public to enjoy, was close to the route they'd be following. She'd begged until Livvi had agreed to make a detour through it.

Of course, Livvi hadn't minded that much. It was starting to get late in the day and they'd need to be stopping soon anyway. And Livvi's agreement had made Alicia happy, so that was reason enough to go. And, after all Alicia had said about it on the way here, she was kind of looking forward to seeing it as well.

She hadn't known exactly what she was expecting from the National Park, but the size of it certainly took her by surprise. Maybe she'd thought it would just be a tiny field with a handful of trees scattered about. Maybe with the odd water feature or flower beds to spruce it up somewhat.

What greeted her and Alicia, however, was a much larger park that stretched out for miles. A large fountain stood at the centre of the park, with paths leading off in all directions back towards the city. Much of what they could see was open grass lawns which countless families were sat on, enjoying the warm Sunday afternoon, but there also seemed to be areas that were covered by dense trees. In the distance, Livvi could see a bandstand on one of the lawns, while, even further away, she could just make out some battle arenas.

There was no escaping the prevalence of pokémon battling, even here.

"So, what do you want to do?" Livvi asked as she followed Alicia along one of the paths.

"How about a walk?" Alicia suggested.

Not a very enticing proposal. That was what they did every day.

"Umm," Livvi began, trying to think of a gentle way of pointing this out.

"I mean, we're always walking _to_ somewhere normally." Perhaps realising it herself, Alicia quickly continued. "I thought it would be nice to just wander about and take our time enjoying it."

"Ah, I guess that's true," Livvi replied. She had to admit that she liked the idea of being able to look at the flowers lining the path ahead. A small part of her wondered if it would be a slippery slope though – after all, the National Park was much larger than she'd thought it would be.

"And then I thought we could stop for lunch," Alicia said. "Though I guess it's a bit late for lunch!" She laughed as she checked her watch.

"Is there somewhere you wanted to go in particular?" Livvi asked.

"Well…" Alicia fidgeted slightly. "I was hoping that we could have a picnic somewhere here in the park."

"I don't see why not," Livvi began. They had plenty of food after all. "But it feels a little crowded at the moment…"

"I bet it'll be much quieter if we head towards the trees," Alicia said. "Wild pokémon live there, so most people prefer to sit further away."

"Won't they try and attack us?" Livvi asked.

"Well, maybe," Alicia replied with a grin. "But we've got our pokémon, right?"

"That's true." Livvi nodded. "Alright then, lead on. Let's have a walk around the National Park!"

"Sure!" Alicia called excitedly as she moved to walk at Livvi's side.

They wouldn't be able to make much more progress today, but Livvi felt as though that would be okay for a change. There was still plenty of time for them to get to Ecruteak and continue their gym challenge. They were unlikely to have this opportunity again.

* * *

 _3:49pm, 23_ _rd_ _April 2006_

Walking along the dirt paths within the tree-filled parts of the National Park was an odd experience. Though the area felt surprisingly wild given its location, it never felt like it was that far from the city. After all, they only had to look around to be able to catch sight of the crowd-filled lawn on one side, and the wall of the National Park on the other.

Still, it made a nice change to be somewhere quiet and away from the bustle of the city. It certainly seemed like the time to stop for a break.

Alicia was humming happily as she sat by Livvi's side on their picnic blanket, occasionally eating some of the food in front of her. Her companion seemed vaguely surprised by this – hadn't she been the one to suggest stopping for something to eat in the first place? But she didn't bother questioning it. After all, she seemed happy as she was.

Livvi helped herself to a biscuit. It made sense to eat them now, she told herself. After all, they'd go stale after a while if she didn't. She stole a brief glance at Alicia, who'd emulated her by reaching for a biscuit of her own. She kind of felt like she should try and strike up a conversation, but...

Lately, she'd been finding it more difficult to know what to talk to Alicia about. The warning that Nathan had given her before was playing on her mind, as desperately as she tried in shake it from her thoughts.

"Ahh! I wish we could do this forever!" Alicia smiled happily as she took a bite out of her biscuit.

"Yeah," Livvi replied automatically. Seeing that smile made it hard to believe that she was untrustworthy.

Alicia noticed that she was looking at her and turned her eyes up to meet hers. "Is something wrong?"

"No, not at all!" Livvi said quickly. "Ah! You've got crumbs around your mouth."

"I have?" Alicia exclaimed in embarrassment, quickly reaching up to wipe her mouth. "Oh," she suddenly said. "What's that over there?"

She was pointing through the trees, where a small, brown creature was lurking. It seemed to be approaching them cautiously, keeping a careful eye on them as it moved closer.

"Is that a teddiursa?" Livvi quickly pulled out her Pokédex. "It's been a while since I've seen one..."

" _Teddiursa, the little bear pokémon. These pokémon like to lick their palms that are sweetened by being soaked in honey. Teddiursa concoct their own honey by blending fruits and pollen collected by beedrill. Before food becomes scarce in wintertime, their habit is to hoard food in many hidden locations._ "

"What an interesting pokémon," Alicia said as she watched the teddiursa reach the bushes in front of their picnic site.

"It's cute too," Livvi added with a smile now that she'd gotten a better look at it.

"Do you think it's come to try and get our food?" Alicia asked. "What should we do?"

"It's okay if it takes a little bit of it," Livvi replied. She quickly packed away some of the food as the teddiursa watched them, his little face peeking out over the bush. His ears twitched at the sound of the rustling of Livvi's bag.

"What now?" Alicia asked. The only food left was some fruit and a bread roll. It hardly looked like the most appetising of meals.

"Let's back up and see what happens," Livvi said, noting that the teddiursa was still watching them carefully.

She and Alicia got off the blanket and backed away into the trees, leaving a large gap between themselves and the food they'd left for the teddiursa.

The wild pokémon, seeing them move back, finally decided that it was safe to come out. He still moved cautiously, constantly looking around as he moved over to the blanket. Bending forwards, he carefully picked up the fruit and the bread roll and, clutching them precariously in his arms, turned to dart back across into the bushes.

At that moment, his foot caught on the blanket and he tripped. Falling face forward with a crash, the food tumbled from his arms. He let out a cry of pain as he landed.

"Are you okay?" Livvi bolted forwards to check on him.

The teddiursa quickly jumped back to his feet and growled at her, holding his arms out in front of the dropped food.

"I'm not going to take it from you!" Livvi laughed. "I was the one who let you have it in the first place!" She lent forwards gingerly. "Did you hurt yourself?"

The teddiursa growled again and took a step back, but didn't otherwise act as she stretched out her hand.

"B-Be careful, Livvi!" Alicia called from where she was. "He might bite or scratch you!"

"Don't worry!" Livvi called back reassuringly.

Sure enough, the teddiursa finally dropped his guard and allowed her to examine his leg. There was a small graze – nothing that a potion wouldn't fix.

She reached into her bag and pulled out a Super Potion. The teddiursa regarded it with suspicion and prepared to jump back. But Livvi was patient and let him sniff at the bottle. He eventually allowed her to spray the potion on.

"There! Good as new!" Livvi grinned at him.

"I can't believe he just let you do that!" Alicia cried, darting forwards. She reached Livvi's side and extended her hand towards the teddiursa.

"Ah, wait-" Livvi cried.

The startled teddiursa took a swipe.

Alicia cried out in pain.

* * *

"I'm sorry…" Alicia mumbled miserably as Livvi finished wrapping a bandage around her hand.

"You don't need to apologise," Livvi replied. She pinned the end of the bandage in place and pulled back. "There! It was just a scratch, so it'll heal up in no time!"

"Thanks, Livvi." Alicia smiled weakly. "I'd be completely useless without you."

"You're being too hard on yourself," Livvi replied sternly. "Besides, you've helped me out plenty of times as well."

The two of them looked around at the sound of rustling. The teddiursa was trying to get into Livvi's backpack. He could clearly smell the food in there.

"Hey!" Livvi quickly scooped the bag up to keep it out of his reach.

The teddiursa threw her a disgruntled look. Now that he'd 'seen off' Alicia, he didn't seem all that worried by them at all.

"I guess that's our picnic over," Alicia sighed, recognising the implication. There was no way they could just get all their food out again. It would disappear into his mouth as soon as he spotted it.

"Yeah." Livvi nodded. "Oh well, it's starting to get late anyway, so we needed to get moving again."

"I guess you're right." Alicia let out another sigh and pulled herself to her feet. She and Livvi quickly folded up the blanket and started putting it away in her backpack.

The teddiursa watched them, stood in front of the food they'd given him. He seemed a little put out by their sudden decision to leave.

"Sorry," Livvi said guiltily, looking down at him. "It's not you. We needed to get moving anyway."

The teddiursa didn't seem all that happy at her explanation as Alicia zipped her backpack shut.

"Right, I guess we're going," she said. "Let's go, Livvi."

"Sure." Livvi nodded. She waved to the teddiursa. "Bye-bye!"

The two of them started walking along the dirt path back in the direction of the centre of the National Park. Though the sound was muffled, it sounded like there were still lots of people in the park. That was Sunday afternoon for you.

"How much further do you think we can go today?" Alicia asked.

"Probably not that far," Livvi replied. "But if we can make a little more progress, then it'll be better in the long run." She glanced at Alicia. "Did you want to spend longer in the National Park?"

"Kind of," Alicia sighed. "But don't worry! I'm happy to move on as well!"

"Tell you what," Livvi said. "How about we find a restaurant along the way to have dinner at?"

"You mean that?" Alicia cried, suddenly excited. "We have the money for that?"

"It should be fine," Livvi replied. "I wasn't thinking of anywhere expensive…" She stopped to pull her town map out.

Something furry bumped into the back of her leg.

"Huh?" Both she and Alicia looked down to see the teddiursa following behind them.

"You can't keep following us like this," Alicia said. "We'll be leaving the National Park soon."

The teddiursa gave her a defiant look before making a leap for Livvi's backpack. She swiftly spun to the side, moving the bag out of his reach. He dropped back to the ground and watched her intensely.

Livvi took a step back.

The teddiursa followed.

Another step.

He did the same.

"What are we going to do?" Alicia asked, turning to look at Livvi.

"Hmm." Livvi pondered for a couple of seconds. The Pokédex suggested that teddiursa hoarded food in the winter, but they were a long way off that. Did this teddiursa have another reason? Maybe an injured friend who couldn't forage themselves?

She met the teddiursa's gaze, attempting to divine his reasons from his eyes.

He licked his lips greedily as he stared back. There was no real sense of urgency in his eyes, just mild impatience at Livvi and Alicia's obstruction.

"I guess this one just likes to eat a lot," Livvi sighed. After thinking that there could've been a nobler reason, she suddenly felt rather let down.

The teddiursa made another jump, but Livvi took another step back to avoid him.

"So, what are we going to do?" Alicia asked. "I feel like he's just going to keep following us until we empty out our bags."

"He'll give up eventually," Livvi replied. She frowned. "But then he'll just go and bother someone else instead."

"Should we go to the park wardens?" Alicia glanced around. They were near the edge of the wood now. There would be a warden post somewhere nearby.

Livvi started to kneel down in front of the teddiursa, but decided better of it and instead only leaned down. "Hey, you want to eat food without having to worry about finding it, right?"

The teddiursa nodded, twitching his nose at the smell of food from her backpack.

"Okay! In that case, I don't mind feeding you from now on."

"Huh?" Alicia gave her a startled look. "What do you mean?"

Livvi raised a finger. "But there is a condition." The teddiursa glanced back at her. "Let me catch you and become a part of my team."

There was silence for a couple of seconds as the teddiursa and Alicia both processed what Livvi had said.

"Deal?" Livvi asked, pulling out a poké ball, expanding it to full size and holding it out to the teddiursa.

The little bear hesitated just long enough to catch a whiff of the food in Livvi's backpack again. He bounced up, knocking his head against the poké ball. He was quickly sucked inside. The ball clicked shut and rattled for a couple of seconds before sealing with a burst of sparks.

"Why did you catch him?" Alicia asked in confusion. "Won't he just cause more trouble later on?"

"Maybe." Livvi laughed awkwardly. "But I didn't want him to end up bothering someone else. And this way he'll pull his weight by helping me earn gym badges."

"I guess so," Alicia sighed. "But you seem to get lots of pokémon with big appetites – this is pretty much how you got Dacino as well. Won't it cost a lot to keep them fed?"

"There are ways around that!" Livvi winked at her.

"So, what are you going to call him?" Alicia asked, accepting her decision.

"I'm thinking 'Ferru'," Livvi replied. "I haven't given a pokémon a nickname like that in a long time."

"I think it suits him," Alicia said. "Though I can't say why…"

"Anyway, let's get going again." Livvi turned and started walking back out of the woods. "There's still time for us to make some progress today!"

* * *

 _5:01pm, 23_ _rd_ _April 2006_

The National Park was huge!

…Had Livvi already mentioned that?

Well, it was worth mentioning a second time. Since they were heading north anyway, Livvi and Alicia had decided to stay in the National Park until they reached the northern gate back into the surrounding city. That meant a long walk past the lawns, trees and fountains that seemed to cover the whole area. It had already been more than an hour since she'd caught Ferru and she was beginning to seriously wonder if they'd be spending the night in the park!

"Do you want a rest?" she asked Alicia.

"Thanks," Alicia replied, accepting the offer. She didn't feel too tired, but it was always nice to have a break.

The two of them walked over to a nearby bench and sat down, grateful to be off their feet. The sun had dropped low in the sky and the park had slowly emptied while they were walking. Everyone else was probably heading home for the evening now. After all, most people had work the following day.

"We haven't done any training today at all, have we?" Alicia sighed, gazing over at some practice arenas she'd spotted on the far side of the lawn in front of them.

"Yeah," Livvi said. "We'll have to do more tomorrow to make up for it." She also spotted the practice arenas. "Unless you wanted to do some now."

"I'm fine!" Alicia quickly assured her. "It was nice being able to enjoy a slightly quieter day than normal."

"I get what you mean." Livvi smiled. "After this, we'll be on the road to Ecruteak City. Then we'll have our next gym battles to worry about."

"Do we know anything about the Ecruteak gym?"

"I haven't had a look at the town map yet," Livvi replied. "But I guess we need to do that soon as well. The sooner we have an idea what kind of pokémon the gym leader will use, the better-"

Livvi suddenly jerked forwards as she was struck by a jet of water from behind her.

"L-Livvi!" Alicia exclaimed in alarm. "Are you okay?"

For a moment, Livvi just sat there, dripping. But there was a frustration appearing in her eyes that suddenly switched to anger. She jumped up and span around.

"You!" she shouted.

Sure enough, there was a squirtle stood by the treeline, a smug grin on his face. He seemed pretty pleased with himself.

"You know that pokémon?" Alicia asked, jumping up to follow Livvi as she started storming towards the squirtle. She pulled out her Pokédex and pointed it at the water type.

" _Squirtle, the tiny turtle pokémon. A squirtle's shell is not merely used for protection. The shell's rounded shape and the grooves on its surface help minimise resistance in water, enabling this pokémon to swim at high speeds._ "

"Where are you?" Livvi demanded, looking past the squirtle at the nearby trees.

"L-Livvi?" Alicia glanced uneasily around. She was starting to attract the attention of other people in the park. Then she heard the sound of giggling from behind one of the trees. A pair of mischievous brown eyes appeared as an older girl stepped out from the shade and approached them.

"I can't believe you're still leaving yourself open like that, Livvi!"

"This is all your fault, not mine!" Livvi growled in response. "You're the one who taught Lallo to behave this way!"

"I just wanted to keep you on your toes," the girl replied with a grin. "It's not my fault that you keep letting your guard down!"

"Umm." Alicia looked between the two girls in confusion. She'd never seen Livvi act this way before. Who was this other person?

"Oh?" The girl glanced in her direction. "You made a new friend, Livvi?"

"I-I'm Alicia Law," Alicia quickly introduced herself. "I've been travelling together with Livvi. You are?"

"Alicia, huh?" The girl grinned. "Nice to meet you! I'm Livvi's older sister, Tessa!"

"O-Older sister?!" Alicia exclaimed.

"Why are you suddenly here, anyway?" Livvi cut in. "I haven't seen you at all since you set out!"

"Ah, Mum told me to keep an eye on you," Tessa replied. "But I got bored by the time you reached Cherrygrove and went on ahead."

"You've been watching me?!" Livvi cried.

"Only until Cherrygrove." Tessa repeated herself. "Anyway, when Mum found out that I been doing my own thing, she got mad at me. So, I thought I'd hang out here and check on you when you passed through."

"Tell Mum that I can take care of myself!" Livvi snapped angrily. "There's no need for _you_ to be here!"

"Oh?" Tessa gave her a smug look. "I guess that means you don't want to battle me. I guess my winning streak will always remain unbroken!"

"I never said that!" Livvi cried, scowling as she reached for her poké balls.

"I feel like this is starting to get out of hand," Alicia mumbled nervously, looking between the two sisters. "Umm, Miss Tessa!"

"How cute!" Tessa grinned at her. "You can just call me 'Tessa'. It's fine."

"I think we're creating a scene here," Alicia said, glancing around at the other people in the park.

"Ah, I guess we _do_ tend to end up being pretty loud!" Tessa laughed. "Hey, Livvi, how about we head over to the practice arenas and I'll beat you there?"

"I'm not going to lose!" Livvi snapped. "But yeah, let's head over there."

"That's what you always say!" Tessa sang. She picked up Lallo, her squirtle, and started walking over towards the practice arenas.

"I really mean it this time!" Livvi protested, running to catch up with her. "I've caught new pokémon, earned gym badges – I'm not the same trainer I was when I left Viridian City!"

"Then prove it to me." Tessa's tone suddenly turned serious. "That's the best way to get someone to accept you, right?"

"…" Livvi didn't respond.

* * *

 _5:24pm, 23_ _rd_ _April 2006_

"Right!" Tessa said cheerfully as she took up her position at one end of the battlefield and stretched her arms above her head. "What format do you want, Livvi? Three-on-three, just like normal?"

"That's fine by me," Livvi replied. She stood at the other end of the arena, her hand already on her first poké ball.

"L-Let's begin then!" Alicia called nervously from the centre line.

"Go, Evoro!" Livvi shouted.

"Go, Miso!" Tessa called, throwing out a poké ball.

Evoro materialised on the field, his fur bristling with electricity. Opposite him, a small, grey pokémon with red orbs around its neck appeared, floating eerily in the air.

"What's that?" Livvi quickly pulled out her Pokédex.

" _Misdreavus, the screech pokémon. Misdreavus frighten people with a creepy, sobbing cry. These pokémon apparently uses their red spheres to absorb the fearful feelings of foes and turn them into nutrition. They love to bite and yank people's hair from behind without warning, just to see their shocked reactions._ "

"What a creepy pokémon," Livvi muttered, putting her Pokédex away.

"Looks like your little eevee evolved!" Tessa called across. "Congrats!"

"Use Thunderbolt!" Livvi shouted, not wasting time responding.

Evoro growled and fired a bolt of electricity towards Miso.

"Ignoring me, huh?" Tessa grinned. "Alright, use Psybeam!"

Miso quickly fired a multicoloured beam of psychic energy back towards Evoro. Their two attacks collided fiercely, causing an explosion.

"Now use Confuse Ray!" Tessa shouted.

"Double Team!" Livvi countered.

As Miso fired a cluster of yellow lights, Evoro suddenly appeared to multiply. They all started jumping about, making it difficult to tell where the original was. Miso's Confuse Ray got lost somewhere along the way and disappeared.

Emboldened, Evoro charged forwards, firing another blast of electricity. This time, Miso was struck and electrocuted.

"You okay, Miso?" Tessa called.

Miso pulled herself back up and nodded.

"Good! Use Astonish!"

Miso dropped low to the ground, as if contemplating something. As Evoro and his doubles moved close, she suddenly sprang up again with a loud shout. Evoro yelped in shock, stumbling backwards and landing with a crash.

"Found you!" Tessa grinned, noticing that the doubles were unaffected. "Use Psybeam!"

Miso quickly fired a beam of psychic energy towards Evoro, managing to score a direct hit. The doubles faded as he was knocked back again. However, he quickly jumped back to his feet.

"Use Thunderbolt!" Livvi ordered again. She didn't have much choice – Evoro's other attacks wouldn't have any effect on a ghost type like Miso. And there was no doubt that she was a ghost type – only ghost types were drawn to such pointlessly sinister pranks.

Alicia watched in concern as the two pokémon continued exchanging attacks, with both of them giving as good as they got. So, this was the person Livvi wanted to beat. The person she'd followed to the Johto region. Alicia vaguely recalled promising to help Livvi beat her at some point, but what could she do now? It was clear that Tessa's pokémon was tough. Even worse, Livvi didn't seem entirely sure about how to approach fighting it.

"Use Thunderbolt!" she shouted again.

Evoro fired another blast of electricity. Miso dropped low to avoid it and powered herself forwards.

"Use Confuse Ray!" Tessa called.

Miso fired a cluster of yellow lights towards Evoro. He jumped to the side, but a second wave hit him before he could react again. He staggered slightly, disoriented by the flashing lights now circling him.

"Snap out of it, Evoro!" Livvi shouted.

However, Evoro continued meandering around. He attempted to use Thunderbolt again, but ended up electrocuting himself instead.

"Use Psybeam!" Tessa ordered.

Cackling gleefully, Miso fired a beam of psychic energy at Evoro.

"Watch out!" Livvi cried.

Evoro tried to react to the warning, but couldn't work out where the attack was coming from. He took a direct hit and was flung back. Despite the damage, however, he managed to claw his way back to his feet.

"Use Thunderbolt!" Livvi ordered desperately as Miso bore down on Evoro again.

The jolteon focused his concentration. Finally managing to clear his mind just enough, he fired a powerful bolt of electricity straight at his opponent. Miso shrieked in pain as she was struck. Electricity still sparking from her body, she toppled to the ground and collapsed.

"M-Miso is unable to battle!" Alicia called, sighing with relief internally. "Evoro is the winner!"

"Phew!" Livvi let out an audible sigh of relief. "Great work, Evoro!"

However, the dazed look had returned to Evoro's face. He hadn't cleared up all of the confusion.

"Wow, he really is more powerful," Tessa said as she recalled Miso to her poké ball. "Still, Miso was a recent addition to my team. Don't think that you've won yet, Livvi!"

"Bring it on!" Livvi shouted back, trying to sound more confident than she actually was.

"Go, Aita!" Tessa called, throwing out her next poké ball.

A small, mostly red bug-like pokémon emerged from the ball and started hovering using its wings.

"Another new one?" Livvi quickly pulled out her Pokédex again and pointed it at the new pokémon.

" _Ledian, the five star pokémon and the evolved form of ledyba. It is said that in lands with clean air, where the stars fill the sky, there live ledian in countless numbers. There is a good reason for this - these pokémon use the light of the stars as their energy. The star patterns on their backs grow larger or smaller depending on the number of stars in the night sky._ "

"Hope you're ready, Livvi!" Tessa grinned. "Aita, use Comet Punch!"

With a nod, Aita dove towards Evoro and slammed into him with a flurry of punches. Evoro stumbled backwards, just barely managing to escape the onslaught.

"Use Quick Attack!" Livvi ordered quickly.

Evoro sprang forwards with a burst of light, but tripped over his own feet and crashed painfully to the ground in front of Aita.

"Use Comet Punch again!" Tessa called.

Aita didn't hesitate. He flew down and pummelled the jolteon with another series of punches. He was surprisingly strong, given his small size. Evoro had finally reached his limit and collapsed to the ground.

"Evoro is unable to battle!" Alicia announced sadly. "Aita is the winner!"

"Ugh!" Livvi grimaced as she recalled Evoro to his poké ball. Who to choose next? Who would be her best bet against Aita? She found her hand drawn towards Dacino's poké ball. If Tessa was using her new pokémon, then perhaps she should use hers as well.

"Go, Dacino!" she called, throwing out the poké ball.

Dacino cried out as he burst from the ball and landed on the arena floor with a soft thud.

"Ooh, a cyndaquil, eh?" Tessa nodded approvingly. "Looks like you've been busy too, Livvi!"

"Of course!" Livvi snapped. She turned to Dacino. "Use Swift!"

The cyndaquil nodded and jumped forwards. He fired a volley of star-shaped rays towards Aita.

"Duck low and use Aerial Ace!" Tessa called.

Aita obeyed, diving close to the ground and powering himself towards Dacino. The rays overhead, however, simply dipped and smashed into him from above. There was a crash as he smashed into the ground.

"Eh. It was worth a try." Tessa shrugged.

"Use Ember!" Livvi ordered quickly.

Dacino fired a cluster of fiery embers towards his opponent, scoring a direct hit. Aita cried out in pain as they grazed his body and left little black scorch marks. However, he pulled himself back up and took off once more.

"Use Aerial Ace!" Tessa ordered.

Aita charged forwards, managing to just strike Dacino before he could react. The cyndaquil was pushed backwards, rolling over from the force of the impact. He landed in a sitting position and, after half-a-second to reorient himself, got back to his feet.

"Now use Supersonic!" Tessa called. She was determined to continue pressing the attack. With Dacino's fire type attacks, it was best to try and keep him immobilised as much as possible.

"Use Smokescreen!" Livvi yelled as Aita emitted a high-pitched noise.

Dacino reacted immediately, shooting out a cloud of black smoke. He jumped backwards to avoid the pulse of supersonic noise that was heading towards him. Though the noise still pierced him and muddled with his sense of direction slightly, he managed to avoid the worst of it.

"Use Ember!" Livvi called.

Shaking his head to try and clear it, Dacino let out a cry and fired a volley of embers through the smoke towards his opponent.

"And now Swift!" Livvi added as the smoke cleared.

Aita had just managed to dodge the previous attack, but was now exposed to the follow up. Dacino fired a volley of star-shaped rays, which raced through the air and struck the ledian before he'd even had a chance to begin a dodge attempt.

"Use Comet Punch!" Tessa shouted.

"Smokescreen!" Livvi yelled as Aita sped forwards.

Dacino quickly threw up a cloud of thick black smoke to obscure his opponent's view.

"Now use Flame Wheel!" Livvi shouted.

Just as Aita reached the smoke, he caught sight of an orange glow rapidly approaching him. He brought himself to a halt and tried to dive backwards.

It was too late.

Dacino smashed into him from the side, engulfing him in the flames surrounding his body. Aita let out a shocked gasp and tumbled backwards. He landed on the ground with a crash.

"Aita is unable to battle!" Alicia called. "Dacino is the winner!"

"Great work, Dacino!" Livvi called. She kept her gaze focused on Tessa, waiting to see what she'd do next. She knew her sister too well to relax. There were some powerful pokémon on her team, after all.

"Go, Detra!" Tessa called, hurling out her last poké ball.

"You're calling out Detra?" Livvi exclaimed.

The ball popped open and the hulking form of a stocky, green pokémon with a large pink flower and several green leaves on his back emerged. Detra, a venusaur and Tessa's first, most powerful pokémon.

"Wow," Alicia mumbled, pulling out her Pokédex.

" _Venusaur, the seed pokémon and the evolved form of ivysaur. A venusaur's flower is said to take on vivid colours if it gets plenty of nutrition and sunlight. The flower's aroma soothes the emotions of people. By spreading the broad petals of their flowers and catching the sun's rays, they fill their bodies with power._ "

"It looks strong," Alicia muttered as she put her Pokédex away. "But won't a grass type be at a disadvantage against a fire type?"

Dacino seemed to think the same thing. He looked across confidently at his new opponent.

"Be careful, Dacino," Livvi warned him.

The cyndaquil looked back at her in confusion.

"He's trained for a long time," Livvi explained. "And he has moves that could wipe you out in an instant."

Her tone was completely serious, even a little shaky. Now Dacino was starting to feel less confident.

"Let's get to it then!" Tessa called with a grin. "Use Razor Leaf!"

Detra nodded and fired a cluster of leaves towards Dacino. He quickly dodged it, only a single leaf managing to strike him lightly.

"And again!" Tessa called.

"She's toying with us!" Livvi gritted her teeth as another cluster of leaves flew across the battlefield. "Dacino, use Flame Wheel! Watch for counter attacks!"

Dacino nodded and surged forwards, cloaking himself in a ball of fire.

"Double-Edge!" Tessa yelled as he got close.

"There it is!" Livvi exclaimed.

Detra thundered forwards, his massive feet crashing across the arena. Dacino was momentarily paralyzed by fear as the behemoth rolled towards him. In an instant, he was struck heavily and thrown back.

"Dacino!" Livvi shouted. "You need to pick yourself up quickly or-"

"Earthquake!" Tessa called.

The moment Dacino touched the ground again, Detra slammed one of his front feet into the ground, sending a shockwave rippling across the park. Dacino was thrown from side to side by the tremor before finally being hurled back towards her with a thud.

"Dacino is unable to battle!" Alicia called. "Detra is the winner!"

"You've put up a good fight so far, little sis!" Tessa grinned. "But can you manage to beat Detra?"

Livvi gritted her teeth in frustration as she recalled Dacino. The attack had been powerful enough to knock Dacino out in almost one hit and had probably been felt all over the park. But she knew that the venusaur had been holding back. Tessa never went all out with Earthquake these days unless she was in a stadium or far away from civilisation. Did she even have a pokémon who could go up against that?

She did, she believed. But could she really use him? Was it too soon?

Taking a deep breath, she pulled out her last poké ball. "Go, Tavro!"

The hypno burst out of the ball and landed on the ground. He fixed his opponent with a firm stare and gave Livvi a nod. For a split second, the image of Detra firing a Solar Beam attack flashed across her mind. Not that the forewarning would really help.

"You're using Tavro?" Tessa raised an eyebrow. "This is going to get interesting."

"We just have to defeat Detra!" Livvi called. "We can do this!"

"We'll see!" Tessa grinned. "Use Razor Leaf!"

Detra fired another cluster of leaves towards Tavro, who dove to the side and rolled clear. Getting back to his feet, he glanced back at Livvi.

"Use Psychic!" Livvi called.

Tavro nodded. His eyes lit up as he lifted Detra into the air with his psychic power. The venusaur cried out in alarm as he was slammed to the ground. He hauled himself back to his feet, wincing in pain.

"Now use Future Sight!" Livvi ordered.

Tavro's eyes lit up once more, though no attack materialised yet.

"Use Double-Edge!" Tessa shouted.

Detra stormed forwards, the ground shaking with each bound.

"Dodge it!" Livvi called.

Tavro, however, stood his ground. His eyes lit up once more and he grabbed Detra and started lifting him up. He shot a reassuring look back at Livvi.

"N-No, you need to listen!" Livvi called desperately.

Tavro lifted Detra further up, only for the venusaur to suddenly pummel him with leaves. His concentration broken, he let his opponent drop.

"Use Headbutt!" Livvi yelled. If they could deliver a powerful blow now, then they could add to the damage Detra would take on impact.

Much to her relief, Tavro nodded and shot up into the air. He lowered his head as he approached his opponent. However, Detra was waiting for him. He smashed into Tavro on the way down and crushed him under his weight. As the venusaur jumped back, however, the hypno staggered to his feet once more.

"A-Are you okay, Tavro?" Livvi called anxiously.

Tavro gave himself a shake and fixed Detra with a fierce look.

"Use Razor Leaf again!" Tessa shouted.

Detra was quick to fire another cluster of leaves. However, Tavro dove onto his stomach, allowing the leaves to pass harmlessly overhead.

"Use Psychic!" Livvi yelled.

Still lying on the ground, Tavro's eyes lit up as he lifted his opponent into the air once more. The venusaur was lifted higher and higher, the setting sun shining just above him.

"He's using Solar Beam!" Livvi exclaimed.

Tavro spotted it too. He immediately started hurling his opponent downwards again.

"Wait!" Livvi cried. "Take him higher first!"

But Tavro wasn't listening. His only thought was to deal with the threat in front of him. There was a loud smash as Detra hit the ground, so loud that it seemed that he must have taken heavy damage. But, seconds later, a shockwave ripped across the arena again. Tavro was hurled back with a cry, while Livvi and Alicia struggled to keep their balance.

"Tavro!" Livvi yelled. "Watch ou-"

Detra fired a searing beam of white light that he'd been charging up. Tavro only just had the chance to pull himself into a sitting position before he was struck. He was flung back against the ground, dust and pieces of rock being thrown everywhere.

As the dust settled, the hypno continued to lay there, motionless.

"T-Tavro is unab-"

As Alicia began speaking, a blast of psychic energy appeared from nowhere and struck Detra, sending him flying back. He crashed onto his back, taking heavy damage. However, he was just about able to roll back over and pull himself to his feet. Tavro's foreseen final attack had failed.

"Tavro is unable to battle!" Alicia called. "Detra is the winner! All three of Livvi's pokémon are unable to battle, so the winner is Tessa!"

"Phew!" Tessa wiped her forehead. "Great work, Detra!"

The injured venusaur gave her a disinterested grunt in response before crashing on his belly in exhaustion.

"…"

Livvi knelt down and wordlessly recalled Tavro to his poké ball. The sting of her defeat had given way to an even greater pain. Despite all the time and effort she'd spent improving herself and getting stronger, the hypno still didn't trust her.

"Well, I guess that's that!" Tessa called over as she recalled Detra to his ball. "I mean, it was a kinda good fight, but you and Tavro really weren't in sync at all. After all that time you spent telling me that he was your secret weapon, I'm quite disappointed."

"…"

Livvi couldn't bring herself to say anything. She'd deliberately not attempted to use Tavro in battle against Tessa before and she'd kept the fact that she still had to earn his trust a secret. Using his had been a gamble in more ways than one. And she'd failed. Now Tessa was going to be even more worse than before.

"Ah well, you learn by trying!" Tessa grinned reassuringly at her. "I guess we'll probably run into each other again sometime, so keep training hard for then." She patted Livvi on the head as she passed.

"I'll definitely beat you next time!" Livvi cried, jumping to her feet. "I'll get Tavro to recognise me, train my other pokémon, and then we'll finally defeat you!"

"Looking forward to it!" Tessa called back idly as she left.

"…I wish she took what I say a bit more seriously," Livvi sighed.

"Are you okay?" Alicia asked as she approached her.

"Yeah." Livvi gave her a sad smile. "I'm kind of used to this by now."

"…"

Alicia stared at her intensely for a couple of seconds before shifting her gaze away. "Well, if you say so."

"Anyway, we need to get moving again," Livvi said. "We still need to decide on where we're having dinner."

"I'll help you," said Alicia.

"Huh?"

"I want to make sure that you're able to beat Tessa!" Alicia declared. "I can't believe she can be so rude to a wonderful person like you!"

"Haha!" Livvi couldn't help but laugh at Alicia's sudden outburst. "Thanks for saying that! I'm counting on you, Alicia!"

"S-Sure!" Alicia cried eagerly.

She cast her gaze briefly after the departing figure of Tessa. Even though she couldn't stand how she treated Livvi, she'd couldn't shake off the feeling that she'd seemed vaguely familiar when she'd first appeared. Had she seen similar-looking people in the pokémon centres along the way here?

Maybe Tessa had been watching her younger sister the whole time after all?

* * *

 **So, a new pokémon for Livvi and her first battle with Tessa since the story began. Unfortunately, it looks like Tessa has also been improving in the time since we last saw her. I enjoyed fielding some new pokémon for Tessa, though Detra was always going to remain her mainstay. Hopefully, you enjoyed the battle too!**

 **Anyway, we're now up to Chapter 10 – always a key landmark number for me when putting out a new story. It finally feels like** _ **Johto Scrapbook**_ **has some real substance to it now!**

 **As ever, I appreciate any feedback you have on this chapter, and, for those who don't already know, there is now a 'Pokémon Journey – Fanfiction Series' page on Facebook which you can follow to keep track of news and announcements regarding the story.**

 **Until next time!**

* * *

 **Team Listings:**

 **Livvi Weston:**

 **Active:**

 **Barru** (Bulbasaur): male, timid, highly persistent, likes sweet food, grass-poison type, Overgrow ability, knows Tackle, Sludge Bomb, Solar Beam and Leech Seed.

 **Cylune** (Venomoth): male, modest, proud of its power, likes dry food, poison-bug type, Shield Dust ability, knows Stun Spore, Psychic, Toxic and Silver Wind.

 **Evoro** (Jolteon): male, jolly, alert to sounds, likes sweet food, electric type, Volt Absorb ability, knows Thunderbolt, Double Team, Double Kick and Quick Attack.

 **Tavro** (Hypno): male, quirky, loves to eat, eats anything, psychic type, Forewarn ability, knows Psychic, Hypnosis, Future Sight and Headbutt.

 **Litine** (Marill): female, mild, good endurance, likes dry food, water type, Thick Fat ability, knows Defence Curl, Rain Dance, Water Gun and Rollout.

 **Dacino** (Cyndaquil): male, adamant, loves to eat, likes spicy food, fire type, Blaze ability, knows Ember, Swift, Flame Wheel and Smokescreen.

 **Ferru** (Teddiursa): male, hardy, loves to eat, eats anything, normal type, Pickup ability, knows Feint Attack, Fury Swipes, Lick and Fake Tears.

 **In Viridian City:**

 **Dorru** (Nidorina): female, quiet, mischievous, likes dry food, poison type, Rivalry ability, knows Fury Swipes, Double Kick, Poison Sting and Crunch.

 **Salea** (Blissey): female, gentle, somewhat vain, likes bitter food, normal type, Natural Cure ability, knows Softboiled, Psychic, Double-Edge and Egg Bomb.

 **Alicia Law:**

 **Active:**

 **Ruo** (Bayleef): male, naughty, often dozes off, likes spicy food, grass type, Overgrow ability, knows Body Slam, Synthesis, Razor Leaf and Reflect.

 **Pari** (Dunsparce): male, quirky, likes to thrash about, eats anything, normal type, Serene Grace ability, knows Rage, Screech, Yawn and Dig.

 **Saffa** (Magikarp): female, rash, often lost in thought, likes dry food, water type, Swift Swim ability, knows Splash.

 **Balva** (Slugma): male, hasty, a little quick tempered, likes sweet food, fire type, Flame Body ability, knows Harden, Rock Throw, Ember and Amnesia.


	11. Shadows in the Night

**Hello and welcome to another chapter of** _ **Pokémon Journey: Livvi's Johto Scrapbook**_ **!**

 **In the previous chapter, Livvi caught Ferru, a teddiursa, in the National Park before battling and being defeated by Tessa once again. With Goldenrod City now completely behind them, she and Alicia have their sights set on the route to Ecruteak City.**

 **Upload Date: 29th November 2017**

* * *

 **Chapter 11: Shadows in the Night**

 _Route 36, Johto_

 _5:28pm, 25_ _th_ _April 2006_

North-east of the National Park lay Route 36. Running along the length of a small, mostly undeveloped mountain range between Goldenrod City and Violet City, it was a protected area for pokémon trainers who wanted to walk a more natural path up towards Ecruteak City.

However, it was also a tough route to follow, with countless winding paths through the mountains and forests which were both exhausting and difficult to follow. Detours sometimes had to be taken if obstacles blocked the road – if a tree fell, then it would take weeks for it to be cleared up. That was how seriously the status of the route as a protected area was taken.

Not that Livvi and Alicia could bring themselves to appreciate that as they slogged along a dirt path through the forested valley between two mountains. The sun had already dropped low in the sky and they were rapidly losing light. An unfortunate wrong turn had set them back several hours and they had no idea how close they were to the village they'd been intending to reach.

"I guess we should set up camp for the night," Livvi sighed. Not exactly an ideal plan, but they needed to make a decision before it became too dark to continue.

"Where though?" Alicia asked, looking around. "The trees are too thick around here. There's nowhere for us to pitch the tent."

"Keep an eye open for somewhere," Livvi replied. "I'm sure there'll be somewhere that we can use."

"It's gotten dark really quickly, hasn't it?" Alicia said as she scanned their surroundings.

"Yeah." Livvi nodded.

Anywhere else, they'd still have plenty of light to keep going for maybe an hour or so, but the sun was about to dip behind a nearby mountain and what little light remained was partly blocked by the trees. It wasn't quite 'dark', but an unsettling gloom surrounded them. Either way, it made it harder to see where they were going and it would make pitching the tent that little bit more difficult.

"Oh!" Alicia spotted something in the murky limits of their vision. "Look there!"

As they walked forwards, they spotted a stone lantern sat by the side of the loosely-cobbled path.

"Maybe there's a shrine somewhere near here…" Livvi mused as she looked at it.

It looked worse for wear. The sloping top was covered in moss and weeds had grown up around the base of it. This wasn't something that was taken care of that often.

"There's another one further ahead," Alicia said, pointing.

"So there is." Livvi frowned. There as something unnerving about them. In fact, any abandoned man-made structures made her feel a bit like that.

They kept walking, continuing to pass more of the stone lanterns, before finally spotting a clearing ahead of them.

"That's a relief," Livvi sighed. She turned to Alicia as they emerged from the treeline. "Let's get everything set up as quickly as we can. We don't have much light left."

"Got it!" Alicia nodded.

As the two of them reached the middle of the clearing, they both shrugged off their backpacks and started pulling out the tent. It was getting late and they wanted shelter before it became so dark that they'd be completely unable to see.

* * *

 _9:54pm, 25_ _th_ _April 2006_

There was never a time when absolutely everything was asleep. Even human society operated 24 hours a day. But the sounds that continued to reach the tent from the surrounding forest, though expected, made it hard for Livvi and Alicia to relax.

"The bugs really are noisy, aren't they?" Alicia sighed, rolling over onto her side in her sleeping bag and facing Livvi.

"It's going to be pretty difficult to sleep tonight!" Livvi smiled back at her. They could just make out each other's faces now that their eyes had become adjusted to the gloom.

"How much longer do you think it'll take us to get to Ecruteak City?" Alicia asked.

"Maybe a couple more days?" Livvi sounded uncertain. "It's difficult to say without looking at the map."

"I guess we need to start thinking about training more intensely then," said Alicia.

"Yeah…" Livvi sighed. She thought back to her battle with Tessa two days prior. If she was going to make progress, then she and her team had to focus everything they had on winning the Ecruteak gym battle. Litine, Dacino and Ferru were behind everyone else, and now that she'd sent Cylune back to Viridian City as well, the pool of experienced pokémon she could call on had further diminished.

At the same time, as difficult as it would be, she needed to force herself to battle alongside Tavro more often. The more she'd thought about it, the more she'd come to conclude that her real problem wasn't that Tavro wouldn't respect her command without proving her skill by winning badges, but that the hypno wasn't used to fighting alongside her. If they spent more time fighting real battles together, as opposed to just training as they had been up to this point, then maybe they'd both start to understand each other more.

"Still, I'm looking forward to visiting Ecruteak City!" Alicia sounded excited. "I've heard that there's so much to see and do there!"

"Have you ever been to Ecruteak City before?" Livvi asked.

"I think I did once," Alicia replied. "Back when I was little. I don't really remember it though." She glanced back at Livvi. "What about you?"

"Never." Livvi shook her head. "But I've heard lots of good things about it as well. I'm sure we'll find lots to do there!"

"I can't wait!" Alicia giggled.

The two of them briefly fell into silence. The noises outside the tent still continued, but felt much quieter than they had before. Perhaps they'd be able to get to sleep tonight after all.

"Ah!" Alicia suddenly perked up. "Did you hear that?"

"Huh?" Livvi looked over at her. "The insects?"

"No." Alicia frowned. "I thought I heard something else. Maybe it was my imagination?"

"It was probably just a tree blowing in the wind," Livvi replied. "Come on – we should try and get some sleep so that we're full of energy tomorrow!"

"Yeah…" Alicia replied absentmindedly. She drew closer to Livvi as they both snuggled further down into their sleeping bags.

The sounds outside the tent continued, filling the night air and echoing around the forest. She couldn't pick up the sound she thought she'd heard earlier.

"Maybe I imagined it after all…?" Alicia mumbled quietly to herself, pulling the sleeping bag up to cover her chin. She closed her eyes and tried to let herself rest.

* * *

 _12:03am, 26_ _th_ _April 2006_

Livvi's head swam through the twilight between conscious and unconscious, aching slightly as it registered sounds coming from both her dreams and from outside the tent. Realising that she was waking up, she cautiously opened her left eye.

It was pitch black in the tent. Morning was still a long way off.

She groped around in the darkness for her watch and torch. She really had woken up early.

In a way though, that came as a relief. That meant that she could go back to sleep and make a second attempt to rest before morning eventually came. She put down her watch and torch and buried herself back in her sleeping bag. Her head still hurt, but she was sure it would wear off soon enough.

Just as she was snuggling her head against her pillow, however, she suddenly heard sounds from outside. Not small, background sounds like she'd been hearing all evening. Instead, it sounded like something was cackling quietly just outside the tent.

As it momentarily became louder, Livvi jerked herself up. Whatever it was didn't sound friendly.

"Alicia!" She called quietly, turning to see if her companion had also been awoken by the noise. Her heart missed a beat.

Alicia wasn't there.

She froze up in shock for a brief second before snapping herself out of it. She jumped to her feet and pushed the entrance flap aside. It had been zipped shut when they'd gone to bed.

In the murky darkness of the forest beyond, she could just about make out movement. She suddenly spotted the sinister, purple figure of a gengar by the treeline as her eyes adjusted.

It was dragging a small figure along the ground, away from the tent.

"Hey!" Livvi yelled in panic. She hurriedly slipped on her trainers and grabbed the nearest poké ball before rushing out of the tent.

The gengar was rapidly disappearing into the trees, its red eyes glinting in the darkness. Alicia had already been dragged out of sight.

"Wait!" Livvi took a step forwards, only to suddenly feel eyes on her. Glancing around, she noticed the gaseous forms of several gastly and haunter approaching her from the sides. They must have been the gengar's underlings!

With a sinister cackle, they started diving towards her.

Livvi shouted in alarm as she darted forwards, just managing to avoid them. "Go!" She threw out the poké ball she'd grabbed.

The bright ball of energy that burst from the ball reshaped itself on the ground and, with a burst of sparks, Barru appeared.

"Ah!" Livvi internally groaned. Barru wasn't the best choice to go up against poison types like gastly and haunter. Still, they were between her and the tent now. She had no choice. "Use Sludge Bomb!"

Barru quickly fired a blast of poisonous sludge towards the gastly and haunter, though those who were hit didn't seem all that bothered by it. Instead, they swept down towards the bulbasaur, torturing his mind with unearthly powers.

"Use Leech Seed!" Livvi called urgently.

Barru stumbled back from the attackers and sprayed out a volley of seeds from the bulb on his back, each one managing to latch onto the ghost types.

"Now use Solar Beam!" Livvi ordered quickly. It was a long shot, but ghosts didn't tend to like light, even if the attack itself wouldn't have much of an effect.

Barru nodded. Bolstered by the energy the sprouting seeds were draining from his opponents, he started storing up the limited sunlight that was reflected by the moon. The ghosts continued darting in with their little attacks, striking and then pulling back again.

Finally, with a shout, Barru's bulb lit up and he fired a bright beam of light up into the centre of his opponents.

The gastly and haunter shrieked in pain and started scattering. In only a few seconds, silence had returned to the clearing.

However, Livvi could still make them out, lurking in the shadows at the edge of clearing. They'd probably come back as soon as they'd recovered. If she was going to set out after Alicia, then it had to be now!

She made a quick dash to the tent, grabbing a second poké ball and her torch, and then rushed over to re-join Barru.

"Let's go!" she said.

The bulbasaur nodded in agreement. The two of them started dashing towards the undergrowth behind them. There was now no sign of the gengar, but it couldn't have gotten far, not while also having to drag Alicia.

But another question that was pressing on Livvi's mind was exactly why the ghosts had suddenly appeared and attacked them. Lots of people used this path and they hadn't heard any stories of things like this happening when they'd first joined Route 36.

"Ah!"

Now that she thought of it, she did remember the map mentioning that there were several parts of the route that tended to attract ghost type pokémon, particularly the deep, forested valleys which were usually pretty gloomy even during the day. Had they accidentally wandered into one of those areas?

But they were still pretty high up and there'd be plenty of sunlight here during the day, so that still seemed unlikely.

She shook the thoughts from her mind. She needed to focus on rescuing Alicia first. Then she could start worrying about where they went wrong.

* * *

 _12:11am, 26_ _th_ _April 2006_

After a while of stumbling through the undergrowth and brushing past tree branches, Livvi finally found herself looking up at a huge tree that seemed to tower above the rest of the forest.

"Did they come this way?" she muttered to herself.

Barru, sniffing carefully at the ground for Alicia's scent, nodded. They'd definitely come this way.

"That's a relief." Livvi shivered involuntarily. In her haste to give chase, she'd left the tent in just her pyjamas. It was still only April, and the night was cold. How she wished she'd grabbed a jumper before setting out!

She and Barru wandered around the sides of the giant tree, carefully looking around as they did.

There was a startled grunt from further ahead.

The gengar was at the edge of the clearing, still attempting to drag Alicia. It seemed surprised that the two of them had managed to catch up.

"Stop it!" Livvi yelled to Barru.

Barru shouted in agreement and rushed forwards. He threw himself into a reckless, full-body tackle as he approached, but he simply shot straight through the gengar and crashed into a nearby tree.

"Barru!" Livvi shouted in alarm, racing forwards.

Barru staggered back to his feet, dazed by the heavy impact. He gave himself a shake as he tried to clear his head.

The gengar, meanwhile, had scooped up Alicia again and darted back into the forest.

Livvi quickly picked up Barru and started giving chase.

"Where is it heading?" she wondered.

Fortunately, it quickly became clear.

As they burst through another row of trees, Livvi and Barru found themselves looking at a darkened cave entrance in the side of a cliff, surrounded by mossy rocks and flanked by two of the old stone lanterns they'd seen earlier in the day. The gengar seemed to be taking Alicia towards this cave. Quite what was in there, Livvi would prefer not to find out. She reached for the second poké ball she'd picked up before.

Barru called up to her, a determined look on his face.

"You want to keep going?" Livvi asked in concern. "But what about your head?"

Barru shook his head and turned to face the gengar.

Now that they'd reached the ghost type's apparent lair, it seemed that it wasn't willing to simply run anymore. It dropped Alicia to one side and adopted a battle stance, shooting a sinister grin at the bulbasaur.

"Use Leech Seed!" Livvi called quickly.

Barru responded instantly, firing a cluster of seeds towards the ghost type. However, it jumped swiftly to the side. Its eyes lit up and Barru shuddered as his mind was engulfed by darkness.

"Stay strong, Barru!" Livvi called urgently. "Use Sludge Bomb!"

Barru winced as he fought through the gengar's powers. With a shout, he fired a blast of sludge at his opponent. The gengar seemed momentarily stunned, perhaps by the speed at which Barru had broken free from it. It made no attempt to move, however. It knew that the attack wouldn't really do much damage.

"Use Leech Seed again!" Livvi shouted, deciding to keep up the offensive.

Barru fired another cluster of seeds towards the gengar, several of them latching on to it as it attempted to dive clear.

"Now use Sludge Bomb!" Livvi called.

The gengar jumped clear moments before the attack reached him. With a shout, he threw a dark ball of shadows back towards Barru. He stepped quickly to the side and the attack sailed past.

"Ah!" Livvi cried in alarm. The attack was now heading straight for her. Her body froze up in panic as it sped towards her.

At the last moment, Barru suddenly jumped into her field of vision. He threw himself between her and the ball with less than a second to spare. The ball exploded and knocked Barru back. He crashed into Livvi's chest and the two of them tumbled backwards.

"A-Are you okay, Barru?" Livvi coughed, the wind knocked out of her.

Barru groaned in pain, trying to haul himself back to his feet and off of her. But he seemed to be out of energy.

Over by the cave entrance, the gengar shot a grin at them as it picked Alicia up again and started walking towards the cave entrance.

"Wait!" Livvi rasped, straining to move her body. She stretched out her arm towards them desperately.

There was a pop as a poké ball opened nearby. The bright blob of energy from within reshaped itself and suddenly burst into a shower of sparks.

Tavro stood there, his gaze fixed on the gengar.

"Tavro!" Livvi gasped. "Please… you need to save Alicia!"

Tavro glanced at her and nodded. His eyes lit up with a blue light as he turned back to the gengar.

Tossing Alicia aside again, the gengar's grin faded as it fixed Tavro with a glare of its own. It suddenly threw another ball of shadows at him. He easily dodged it, but realised a split second later that his opponent had used the opportunity to escape into the shadows. He glanced around, warily trying to assess which direction the gengar would come from.

"Look out! On your right!" Livvi shouted.

Tavro's eyes widened. He spun around just in time to see a ball of shadows fire out from behind some trees. He stepped back just in time and the attack sailed past him. His eyes lit up again as he attempted to grab the gengar with his psychic powers.

There was a cry as the gengar was lifted into the air. However, it swiftly grinned at Tavro as it hurled another ball of shadows towards him.

"Tavro!" Livvi cried as the hypno was knocked back.

Tavro pulled himself together and immediately around for the gengar. The ghost type had taken the chance to slip back into the darkness again. He suddenly felt a sinister force gripping his mind and groaned in pain. As it intensified, he dropped to one knee and winced.

"Watch out!" Livvi shouted. "Coming from the left!"

Tavro looked up. A ball of shadows was approaching him from the direction of the cave entrance. He immediately dived to the side, avoiding the attack.

"There's another one! Behind you!" Livvi called.

Tavro continued dodging the attacks as they came from the shadows of the trees, but it was clear that he was started to run low on energy. The gengar had hidden itself well and it was hard for him to get a fix on him. If it weren't for Livvi shouting out when his blind spots were threatened, it might have already been over.

"Left!" Livvi yelled, managing to push Barru to the side and pulling herself to her feet.

Tavro reacted in good time, but his movement was ever so slightly too slow. The dark ball grazed his shoulder and knocked him off-balance.

At that moment, there was suddenly a bright flash from beside Livvi. Drawing on his remaining strength, Barru had absorbed sunlight and fired a searing beam of light straight through the middle of the clearing.

There was a grunt of discomfort from the gengar as the clearing was suddenly lit up.

"There!" Livvi shouted.

Tavro reacted instantly. He grabbed the gengar with his psychic powers before the light faded. The gengar struggled, but also seemed to be low on energy. The seedlings Barru had attached to him earlier were still there and were still draining his energy.

Tavro hurled the gengar back towards the cliff. It disappeared into the darkness of the cave entrance.

The three of them waited for a tense few seconds. When it became clear that the gengar wasn't reappearing, they all sighed in relief.

"We did it!" Livvi gasped. "Well done, both of you!"

Tavro gave a nod and made no sound. Barru, however, gasped and started shuddering slightly.

"Huh? What's up?" Livvi asked, looking down at him.

Barru was suddenly enveloped in a bright light. His body grew larger and the bulb on his back expanded, the silhouettes of leaves extending outwards from the base. The light burst and Barru wearily dropped to the ground.

"Wow!" Livvi gasped, looking at her partner's new form. "I guess you've gotten stronger than I thought you had, Barru!"

The large, pink flower bud and green fern leaves on Barru's back shook as he pulled himself to his feet and called out to her cheerfully.

"Right! Let's get out of here before those ghosts come back again!"

* * *

 _12:32am, 26_ _th_ _April 2006_

"…"

Alicia stirred, her consciousness returning as she felt her head bump gently against something. She opened her eyes blearily and looked around. As they adjusted, she realised with alarm that she was outside.

"H-Huh?"

"Oh, are you awake?"

Livvi's voice came from very nearby. In fact, her head was right next to Alicia's.

"What's going on?" Alicia cried, realising that she was being carried on Livvi's back. "What happened to the tent?"

"Some stuff happened," Livvi replied. "I woke up in the night and found that you weren't there. Some gengar was trying to drag you to a cave in the woods."

"A gengar?!" Alicia exclaimed. She looked around frantically. "Where is it now?"

"Don't worry!" Livvi glanced over her shoulder and smiled at her. "Tavro, Barru and I fought it off!"

Alicia let out a sigh with relief and let herself relax. "H-Hey," she began cautiously. "Was, umm…was the gengar…alone?"

"There were some gastly and haunter that were helping it at first," Livvi replied. She gave Alicia a confused look. "I didn't see a human trainer though, if that's what you're asking."

"That's a relief!" Alicia sagged against Livvi's back.

"Why did you think there might have been?"

"Oh, umm!" Alicia thought quickly. "That's it! I'm really afraid of being kidnapped, so I kinda assume the worst, you know!" She laughed unconvincingly.

Livvi frowned, but turned back to face forwards.

"By the way, Livvi," Alicia said. "That pokémon walking next to us…"

"That's Barru!" Livvi replied cheerfully. "He evolved after we fought off the gengar. He's an ivysaur now!"

"Wow! Congratulations, both of you!" Alicia exclaimed.

"Thanks!" Both Livvi and Barru grinned back at her. "Tessa's going to be in for a shock the next time we meet!"

They emerged from the trees and back into the clearing they'd started in. Their tent still stood facing them, just as Livvi had left it. As Livvi and Barru walked over, all three of them noticed the faces of the ghost types peeking out from behind trees, watching them carefully.

"Why are they still here?" Alicia wondered.

"I worked it out earlier," Livvi replied. "Apparently, there's a lot of dark energy that gathers around the cave the gengar was trying to take you to. Lots of ghost types gather around it and tend to attack anyone in the area."

"How did we miss that?" Alicia gasped.

"I wasn't looking at the right part of the map," Livvi sighed. "It's my fault that we got into this mess."

"No, I don't blame you at all!" Alicia quickly assured her. "It's all those stupid ghosts' faults!"

Livvi couldn't help but smile at the outburst. "Still, I don't think it's a good idea to stay here."

"You mean that we've got to pack up and move on?" Alicia asked. They'd reached the tent, so Livvi gently knelt down so that Alicia could place her feet on the ground.

"Unfortunately, yes." Livvi nodded, standing up again. "It's going to be rough packing up and walking at night, but it's better that we find a safer place to sleep."

"I guess so," Alicia sighed. "What do you want me to do?"

"Get dressed first," Livvi replied. "We don't want to be walking through the forest in our pyjamas!"

"O-Of course!" Alicia quickly disappeared into the tent.

Livvi stayed still for a moment, casting a glance towards the gastly and haunter lurking in the distance as she frowned. This was definitely a spot that they shouldn't have camped in and it was no surprise that the ghosts had attacked them, but what if Alicia's fears were well-founded?

She hadn't seen any sign of a human trainer when she fought the gengar, but that didn't mean that there wasn't one. Could someone have been trying to use the ghosts to cover an attempted kidnapping?

And, more importantly, was there someone who could be targeting Alicia? A general fear of being kidnapped with no base seemed a little strange.

A pained expression appeared on Livvi's face. The longer she was with Alicia, the less she felt like she truly knew her. Was this what Nathan had been trying to warn her about? Was Alicia hiding something after all?

"I'm ready!" Alicia burst back out of the tent, now dressed and ready for action. She looked sheepishly at Livvi.

"Wh-What is it?" Livvi asked.

"Thanks for carrying me back from there." Alicia smiled widely at her. "I really am glad that we're travelling together!"

"…It's nothing." Livvi smiled back at her. "I'm glad we're travelling together as well!"

Alicia grinned happily at her before turning and heading back into the tent to start gathering her things.

When she smiled like that, she always seemed genuine. It was hard not to want to keep taking care of her.

But there was a small part of Livvi that told her that this should worry her most of all.

* * *

 _9:47am, 26_ _th_ _April 2006_

" _Ivysaur, the seed pokémon and the evolved form of bulbasaur. There is a bud on this pokémon's back. To support its weight, an ivysaur's legs and trunk grow thick and strong. If they start spending more time lying in the sunlight, it's a sign that the bud will bloom into a large flower soon._ "

"Alicia…" Livvi mumbled.

"Yes?"

"This is the third time you've scanned Barru since we set off."

"It is?!"

"Yeah."

Alicia quickly returned her Pokédex to her pocket as she trudged wearily alongside Livvi. Both of them were sporting black bags under their eyes. It had been a long night moving to somewhere safe to camp and they hadn't gotten much sleep either.

"Oh, that's it," Alicia mumbled in realisation. "I scanned him again because I forgot what the Pokédex had said."

"That's what you said last time as well," Livvi replied irritably.

"Should we stop for a rest?"

"Let's just focus on getting to the next village. Then we can take a nap or something."

Too tired to continue talking, the two girls and Barru lapsed into silence as they continued walking through the forest towards Ecruteak City.

* * *

 **Due to the way things worked out before, this is the first time that I've been able to upload two** _ **Johto Scrapbook**_ **chapters in the same month.**

 **Anyway, coming off the back of Chapter 10, one which I was looking forward to in particular, I wasn't sure how this one would turn out when I first started writing it. A short section plan and the fact that it was centred on Barru's evolution into an ivysaur meant that I was worried that I wouldn't have enough content to write a proper chapter. I guess I proved myself wrong in the end!**

 **Aside from Barru, I also wanted to spend some time working on the bond between Livvi and Tavro, since that's otherwise been neglected since the start of the story and I needed to start somewhere if I ever wanted the two of them to work together in battle.**

 **And it was quite nice to be able to write a more spooky chapter for a change (even if I'm a month late for Halloween! :P). And it serves as a nice prelude to the upcoming gym battles in Ecruteak City too.**

 **As ever, I appreciate any feedback that you have on this chapter and remember to leave a like on the Facebook page.**

 **Until next time!**

* * *

 **Team Listings:**

 **Livvi Weston:**

 **Active:**

 **Barru** (Ivysaur): male, timid, highly persistent, likes sweet food, grass-poison type, Overgrow ability, knows Double-Edge, Sludge Bomb, Solar Beam and Leech Seed.

 **Evoro** (Jolteon): male, jolly, alert to sounds, likes sweet food, electric type, Volt Absorb ability, knows Thunderbolt, Double Team, Double Kick and Quick Attack.

 **Tavro** (Hypno): male, quirky, loves to eat, eats anything, psychic type, Forewarn ability, knows Psychic, Hypnosis, Future Sight and Headbutt.

 **Litine** (Marill): female, mild, good endurance, likes dry food, water type, Thick Fat ability, knows Defence Curl, Rain Dance, Water Gun and Rollout.

 **Dacino** (Cyndaquil): male, adamant, loves to eat, likes spicy food, fire type, Blaze ability, knows Ember, Swift, Flame Wheel and Smokescreen.

 **Ferru** (Teddiursa): male, hardy, loves to eat, eats anything, normal type, Pickup ability, knows Feint Attack, Fury Swipes, Lick and Fake Tears.

 **In Viridian City:**

 **Dorru** (Nidorina): female, quiet, mischievous, likes dry food, poison type, Rivalry ability, knows Fury Swipes, Double Kick, Poison Sting and Crunch.

 **Salea** (Blissey): female, gentle, somewhat vain, likes bitter food, normal type, Natural Cure ability, knows Softboiled, Psychic, Double-Edge and Egg Bomb.

 **Cylune** (Venomoth): male, modest, proud of its power, likes dry food, poison-bug type, Shield Dust ability, knows Stun Spore, Psychic, Toxic and Silver Wind.

 **Alicia Law:**

 **Active:**

 **Ruo** (Bayleef): male, naughty, often dozes off, likes spicy food, grass type, Overgrow ability, knows Body Slam, Synthesis, Razor Leaf and Reflect.

 **Pari** (Dunsparce): male, quirky, likes to thrash about, eats anything, normal type, Serene Grace ability, knows Rage, Screech, Yawn and Dig.

 **Saffa** (Magikarp): female, rash, often lost in thought, likes dry food, water type, Swift Swim ability, knows Splash.

 **Balva** (Slugma): male, hasty, a little quick tempered, likes sweet food, fire type, Flame Body ability, knows Harden, Rock Throw, Ember and Amnesia.


	12. Nightmare Battle (Part 1)

**Hello and welcome to another chapter of** _ **Pokémon Journey: Livvi's Johto Scrapbook**_ **! The second upload today, if you're coming from Chapter 44 of** _ **Hoenn**_ **.**

 **Last chapter, Livvi and Alicia had a scary experience while camping out on Route 36, as a group of ghost pokémon attacked them in the night. During the fighting, Tavro, Barru and Livvi worked together to defeat a gengar that had taken Alicia, with Barru evolving into an ivysaur in the aftermath.**

 **Upload Date: 29** **th** **December 2017**

* * *

 **Chapter 12: Nightmare Battle (Part 1)**

 _Ecruteak City, Johto_

 _4:41pm, 27_ _th_ _April 2006_

"We're finally here," Alicia said wearily, looking around at the apartment blocks and houses as she and Livvi trudged up one of the streets.

"I was expecting it to look a lot more old-fashioned," Livvi sighed.

Ecruteak was an ancient city that had over a millennium of history behind it. All the stories she'd heard about it and all the pictures she'd seen of it gave the impression that it was steeped in that history, right down to maintaining its old wooden architecture.

Now that she thought about it, though, of course the city was going to have advanced along with the rest of the Johto region. Time didn't stand still, even in places as venerable as Ecruteak. At first glance, it seemed to be as modern as Goldenrod City to the south, though they were admittedly still in the outskirts of the city.

Alicia repeated her realisation out loud. "I'm sure that the city centre will be much more like it was in the past," she added. "Do you know where the gym is?"

A good question.

Livvi pulled out her town map and examined the city's layout.

"Close to the centre," she said. "That doesn't surprise me."

"Yeah, I was expecting that as well," said Alicia. "Should we go straight there when we arrive?"

"It might be a good idea to book slots," Livvi replied. "But I don't think there's enough time for us to have gym battles today."

And even if it weren't getting late, they'd been on the road since the morning and were worn out. The last couple of days hadn't been kind to them and both girls were looking forward to being able to rest in a pokémon centre."

"I guess you're right," said Alicia, not disappointed by Livvi's response. "It's best to book a room at the pokémon centre first though, right?"

"Yeah." Livvi nodded. "As long as we keep following the signs for the city centre, we'll be able to find it easily."

"I hope it's not going to be another tough gym like the one in Goldenrod," Alicia sighed. "It was exhausting dealing with Whitney's team."

"I don't think gyms are supposed to get easier as you go along," Livvi said. "After all, I've been a trainer for longer, but I was the only one to lose to Whitney."

"You mean the gym leaders are adjusting their tactics depending on how strong we are?" Alicia groaned.

"We've got to keep training if we want to get stronger," Livvi replied with a smile. "That'll be what we're doing tomorrow morning."

"I'm just glad you don't want to do any training now," said Alicia. "I'm exhausted after going through Route 36."

"Same," said Livvi. "That's why I said it!"

"Next time, let's get the train," Alicia said.

The two of them walked around a curve in the road and spotted something in the distance.

A huge, ten-storey pagoda tower stretching up into the sky.

It had been hidden from sight when they'd been surrounded by apartment blocks, but now that they could see it, it seemed strange that they hadn't up to this point.

"That's…" said Alicia.

"…The Bell Tower." Livvi finished for her, gazing in awe at the tower. It was one of the tallest buildings in Johto and also one of the oldest. If legends were to be believed, then that was the point where the legendary pokémon, Ho-oh, descended many centuries ago. Though her current priority was her next gym battle, she definitely wanted to get a closer look before they left the city.

"I guess we can just follow the Bell Tower then!" Alicia grinned. "It must be pretty central, after all!"

"Yeah." Livvi nodded. "Let's head on in and find the pokémon centre."

* * *

 _5:32pm, 27_ _th_ _April 2006_

Much to their disappointment, Livvi and Alicia had arrived at the gym to find that it was already closed for the night.

Or rather, closed to challengers.

There appeared to be some kind of event going on inside when they'd gotten there, but, as they weren't members of the gym, they hadn't been allowed in. Quite what the gym members were going to be doing throughout the evening was a mystery to Livvi. Though a part of her thought that it was perhaps better if she didn't know.

Light was rapidly fading from the sky over Ecruteak City, but it still seemed a little early to head back to the pokémon centre, especially since they weren't going to be training until the following day, so they'd decided to explore the city centre and visit at least some of the historical sites.

This had brought them to the large, open space that housed the Bell Tower, beyond a tree-lined trail that led from the main street.

"Wow! It's much taller than it looked when we first saw it," Alicia said, craning her neck to look up at the full length of the tower. "Imagine what the view would be like from the top!"

"Yeah." Livvi nodded. "It's a shame that we're not allowed to climb it."

Even if she hadn't known from the town map, the gate and warning notice in front of the main entrance was obvious.

"Well, I guess it's sacred ground," said Alicia. "You know, if Ho-oh really does come here."

"From what I've read, Ho-oh hasn't come here for a very long time," Livvi replied. "But I suppose they don't want to risk angering it by allowing the public to come a gawk at it."

"Oh well," Alicia sighed. She turned away from the Bell Tower and glanced over at other building to the left. "What about that one?"

"Ah, that one," Livvi said, turning to look where she was looking. "The map calls it the 'Burned Tower' – apparently it used to be the same height as the Bell Tower, a long time ago."

"But it burned down." Alicia finished the sentence.

It was clear just from looking at it. Only two storeys remained, with much of the remaining structure charred and seared. As they got closer, they could see that, though the building's exterior walls extended as high as the second storey, in practice there was only one floor remaining.

"It looks pretty creepy, doesn't it?" Alicia murmured. Perhaps it was the effect of the sunset, but the tower seemed eerie and quiet. It made sense – it had effectively been abandoned after all.

"Yeah." Livvi agreed with her.

Despite their thoughts, the two of them decided to walk up the stairs towards the entrance. Unlike the Bell Tower, there was nothing stopping them from walking in and only single sign warning of the dangers of the ruins stood by the side of the door.

They stood in the doorway and looked in at the open and exposed interior of the remains of the tower. Though there were many beams, both upright and collapsed, which were charred in places, the floor itself seemed to have mostly escaped damage from the fire. Barring the large hole torn in the centre of the room.

"Look!" Livvi suddenly exclaimed, spotting something.

"What? What?" Alicia asked, looking around. She was just in time to see the purple, gaseous form of a gastly weaving amongst the wooden supports. "I-Is this somewhere ghosts come a lot?"

"I think they like abandoned places," Livvi replied, lowering her voice so it wouldn't hear them. "I read somewhere that they get drawn to places with a sinister aura."

"Or where people may have died?" Alicia said.

A sombre mood settled over the two of them.

"M-Maybe?" Livvi replied awkwardly. She looked back at the gastly, which was ducking down towards the floor. "Still, it's rare for ghost pokémon to appear this obviously in the middle of a city. Maybe it's something to do with how old it is…"

"I just remembered," Alicia said. "The gym seemed a little sinister from the outside."

Livvi had thought so too.

"You mean?"

"Could it be a ghost gym?"

The two of them looked at each other.

"Well, we've got pokémon who can fight them," Livvi said. "And I guess we'll have to wait until tomorrow anyway."

"Yeah." Alicia nodded. She glanced back at the interior of the Burned Tower. "Should we head back to the pokémon centre?"

"Yeah," Livvi replied. Neither of them seemed keen to explore the Burned Tower any further, and it was starting to get late anyway. Their time would be better spent preparing for the following day.

* * *

 _12:32pm, 28_ _th_ _April 2006_

Livvi and Alicia had returned to the Ecruteak gym early in the morning and booked slots for the afternoon. The rest of the morning had been spent hectically sparring with each other to prepare, before they finally set off again so that they could get to the gym in time for the battles.

Livvi's slot was just before Alicia's. She'd insisted on going second this time, though Livvi suspected that she was intimidated by the possibility of having to fight ghost type pokémon.

"I'm off then," she said, turning to her younger companion as they reached the entrance to the passage leading down towards the arena.

"Good luck!" Alicia said enthusiastically. "Make sure you fight as hard as you can!"

"Will do!" Livvi grinned back. "I'll see you when it's over!"

"Sure!" Alicia nodded.

They both split up and started walking, Livvi heading for the arena and Alicia heading for the stands.

* * *

 _12:35pm, 28_ _th_ _April 2006_

If the exterior of the gym had given off a slightly sinister vibe, then the interior amplified that by several times. Not only were the walls and floor dark colours (mainly a purplish-grey), but the whole room felt like it was shrouded in darkness.

If the aim was to intimidate challengers, then job well done!

Livvi suppressed a shudder as she walked forwards to stand at the edge of the arena. There was a chill in the air as well, which didn't improve things.

"Welcome!" A blond-haired young man called across to her from the gym leader's corner. "I'm Morty, the leader of the Ecruteak gym. I look forward to battling you!"

"I'm Livvi Weston from Viridian City!" Livvi called back. "Same here!"

Up in the stands. Alicia made her way along one of the aisles and sat down on a seat looking down over Livvi's half of the battlefield.  
"This is definitely a ghost gym," she muttered, glancing down at Morty. That was going to make things more difficult for her.

"This is an official Johto League gym battle between the Ecruteak City gym leader, Morty, and the challenger, Olivia Weston from Viridian City!" the referee announced. "This battle will be fought using a three-on-three single format and will be over when all of one side's pokémon are unable to battle! In addition, only the challenger may substitute pokémon!" He looked between the two trainers. "Are you both ready?"

Both Livvi and Morty nodded at him.

"Alright, begin!"

"Go, Gastly!" Morty called, throwing out his first poké ball.

Gastly burst out of the ball and started hovering eerily in the air, his eyes fixed on Livvi with a fierce glare.

"Go, Dacino!" Livvi shouted. She threw her own ball.

Dacino gave a cry as he burst out and landed on the ground, a billowing flame erupting from his back.

"So, it's a gastly first?" Alicia sighed. She pulled out her Pokédex. If it had any weaknesses, then she wanted to know them.

" _Gastly, the gas pokémon. Gastly are largely composed of gaseous matter. When exposed to a strong wind, the gaseous body quickly dwindles away. Groups of these pokémon cluster under the eaves of houses to escape the ravages of wind. Almost invisible, gastly cloak their targets and put them to sleep without notice._ "

"Use Flamethrower!" Livvi called, immediately deciding to use the new move Dacino had picked up during training.

Dacino fired a jet of flames towards Gastly, who swept to the side to avoid the attack. He fixed Dacino with a fierce look, a sinister red glow appearing around him.

"And again!" Livvi called.

Dacino fired a second blast of flames. This time, Gastly was caught up in the attack. Unable to control himself, he spiralled around violently before managing to regain his balance. He spun around to face Dacino again, injured but still fighting.

"Use Curse!" Morty shouted.

A black aura engulfed Gastly for a split second. In an instant, the same black aura suddenly appeared around Dacino. The cyndaquil shuddered as he felt it seep into his body. To start with, it just felt incredibly uncomfortable. Soon, however, he started feeling the start of a stabbing pain across his body. Shaking it off, he glanced back at Livvi for orders.

"Flame Wheel!" Livvi called.

"Lick!" Morty yelled.

Both pokémon charged at each other, Dacino cloaked in fire while Gastly simply opened his mouth and extended his tongue. He managed to get in a brief lick before being forced back by the searing heat from Dacino's attack.

"Use Spite!" Morty called.

Gastly's eyes glowed a purple colour as he glided backwards. A similar glow appeared around Dacino. The residual flames from his attack quickly weakened and faded, though it wasn't immediately obvious what Gastly had actually achieved.

"Use Flamethrower!" Livvi ordered, deciding to press ahead.

Dacino jumped back and fired another burst of flames towards his opponent. Gastly swiftly ducked low and glided under the jet of flames. Shooting forwards while Dacino hurriedly attempted to adjust his aim, he extended his tongue and licked the side of the cyndaquil's face. As Dacino recoiled in horror, Gastly withdrew back out of range.

"Use Flame Wheel!" Livvi called.

Dacino attempted to charge forwards, but suddenly found his joints locking up and refusing to move. The stabbing pains from earlier were starting to get worse as well.

"Use Lick!" Morty ordered.

Gastly dived down towards Dacino as he struggled to move.

"Flamethrower!" Livvi yelled.

At the last moment, Dacino jerked his head up and fired a burst of flames at close range. Gastly was instantly caught up in the inferno, the hot air accompanying the flames sending him spirally up into the air. As the flames dissipated, he drifted back down towards the ground, settling on the arena floor.

"Gastly is unable to battle!" the referee announced. "Cyndaquil is the winner!"

"Phew!" Livvi let out a sigh of relief. It had been touch-and-go, but they'd managed to see off Morty's first pokémon. Of course, they still had two to go, but they'd at least been able to seize the initiative.

"Gastly, return!" Morty recalled Gastly. "You've been fighting pretty well so far. I'm impressed!"

"Thanks!" Livvi called back. "I can tell that you're a tough gym leader!"

"Thanks for the compliment!" Morty replied. He pulled out his next poké ball. "Go, Haunter!"

The purple, ghostly form of a haunter emerged from the ball and hovered opposite Livvi and Dacino. It was like that night on Route 36, all over again!

"Haunter, huh?" Up in the stands, Alicia pulled out her Pokédex.

" _Haunter, the gas pokémon and the evolved form of gastly. Because of their ability to slip through block walls, it is said that haunter from another dimension. If you get the feeling of being watched in darkness when nobody is around, it may well be that a haunter is there._ "

"Use Flamethrower!" Livvi quickly shouted.

Dacino fired a burst of flames. Haunter, however, darted to the side, avoiding the attack.

"Get closer and try again!" Livvi ordered.

With a nod and a squeak, Dacino rushed forwards, firing another blast of flames towards Haunter. In closing the gap, it became much harder for Haunter to dodge. An attempt to dive low was thwarted when Dacino lowered the angle of his attack, leaving the ghost type exposed. The flames seared his ethereal body as he writhed in pain.

"Now use Flame Wheel!" Livvi called. Disconcerting as it was, watching Haunter's reaction, they needed to press the advantage while they could.

The pain from Gastly's attack growing stronger, Dacino cloaked himself in fire and attempted to move forwards. However, his joints had locked up again and refused to obey.

Despite the opportunity, Morty and Haunter seemed content to wait, the latter waggling its tongue mockingly at Dacino as he struggled to pull through.

Livvi gritted her teeth and frowned. There was no way a gym leader would miss something like that. What was he planning?

Dacino finally forced his joints to move and limped forwards. Making as big a jump as he could into the air, he hurled himself towards Haunter. The ghost pokémon shot down, easily avoiding him.

As Dacino landed, he was suddenly engulfed by a surge of flames. Blaze, perhaps?

"Use Flamethrower again!" Livvi shouted.

Shaking himself, Dacino spat out a huge blast of flames, so powerful that the heatwave coming off it hit Livvi and even Alicia like a gust of wind.

For a few moments, the arena seemed to have transformed into a hellscape, with ash, fire and smoke filling the air. As Dacino's attack finally dissipated, a badly burned Haunter lifted himself off of the ground, wincing in pain as he glided forwards.

Dacino, on the other hand, had reached his limit. The pain emanating across his body caused his nerves to scream at him. Unable to hold himself up, he slumped down to the ground. Thanks to Gastly's efforts, Haunter had won the round without needing to make a single move of his own. The only consolation was the amount of damage Dacino had managed to inflict before he fell.

"Cyndaquil is unable to battle!" the referee announced. "Haunter is the winner!"

Livvi recalled Dacino to his poké ball and put it away. She quickly pulled out another poké ball and threw it out. "Go, Ferru!"

The teddiursa burst out of his ball and landed on the arena floor, looking across at his opponent confidently.

"Use Hypnosis!" Morty gave his first order to Haunter.

The injured ghost nodded, his eyes lighting up with a sinister red glow.

"Use Feint Attack!" Livvi ordered.

With a grin, Ferru charged forwards. However, he was quickly caught in Haunter's gaze. There was a thud as he hit the ground.

"No! Ferru, come on!" Livvi shouted. "You've got to wake up!"

"Use Dream Eater!" Morty ordered.

Haunter drew close to the sleeping Ferru. His eyes glowed a purple colour as he started draining the teddiursa's energy. Ferru grimaced in his sleep as the attack went on, but he didn't stir.

"Come on, Ferru!" Livvi called urgently. "If you stay asleep, then it's all over!"

The teddiursa, however, continued snoring.

"I wonder if this is why Haunter didn't do anything against Dacino?" Alicia murmured to herself. After all, Dream Eater relied on the target being asleep and Dacino couldn't have been put to sleep since he'd already been paralysed in the battle with Gastly.

She shuddered.

It was intimidating seeing how helpless Ferru looked in the face of Haunter's attacks.

"Use Dream Eater again!" Morty called. "Finish this up!"

"Wake up!" Livvi yelled. The longer Haunter was free to drain energy, the more resistant he'd be once Ferru did wake up.

Haunter drew in close and started draining Ferru's energy. The teddiursa grunted in pain and shifted around. As his opponent pulled back again, he rolled over again.

Suddenly, he leapt to his feet, wide awake again. He spat out the pip of a berry and turned back to face his opponent.

"Yes!" Livvi cried in relief. She hadn't given him a berry, but he must have picked one up somewhere. "Ferru, use Feint Attack!"

With a short growl to show he understood, Ferru charged forwards, catching Morty and Haunter off-guard. He extended his left fist towards Haunter, only to suddenly whip it back at the last second and sweep in with a right hook instead. The ghost pokémon was thrown to the side by the impact.

"Again!" Livvi shouted.

Ferru pressed his advantage, slamming into Haunter with a second attack and sending him toppling down towards the ground, where he came to rest.

"Haunter is unable to battle!" the referee announced. "Teddiursa is the winner!"

"Alright!" Livvi cheered, grinning at Ferru.

The teddiursa grinned back enthusiastically.

"Hmm. Not bad." Morty nodded as he returned Haunter to his poké ball. "Let's see how you handle my last pokémon." Pulling out his final ball, he threw it out towards Ferru. "Go, Gengar!"

The bulky, sinister form of a gengar emerged and landed softly on the ground, shooting a sinister grin towards Ferru.

Alicia shuddered. Gengar. Not a pokémon she had any real wish to see again. She reluctantly pointed her Pokédex at him, fearing that she may well end up having to fight him in her own match.

" _Gengar, the shadow pokémon and the evolved form of haunter. They steal heat from their surroundings. If you feel a sudden chill, it is certain that a gengar is nearby. To steal the life of their prey, they slip into their shadows and silently wait for an opportunity._ "

"Use Mean Look!" Morty called.

Gengar fixed Ferru with a fierce expression, unnerving the teddiursa and making him feel cautious about turning his back to him.

"Use Feint Attack!" Livvi ordered. She was undeterred – they had the advantage now.

Ferru regained his nerve and raced forwards, scoring a direct hit against Gengar. As the ghost type fell back, though, he flashed another grin at Ferru.

"Gotcha!" Morty grinned. "Use Hypnosis!"

"Get back!" Livvi yelped.

It was too late.

Gengar's eyes lit up with a sinister red glow. Ferru stumbled slightly and then crashed to the ground with a thud.

"Now use Dream Eater!" Morty ordered.

Even in his sleep, Ferru let out a cry as he was hit by Gengar's attack. It was far more powerful than Haunter's, with Ferru writhing in pain as his energy was drained. When Gengar finally finished, Ferru lay still on the ground.

"Teddiursa is unable to battle!" the referee announced. "Gengar is the winner!"

Livvi recalled Ferru to his poké ball. "You did a great job in your first gym battle. Thanks, Ferru." She took a deep breath as she reached for her last ball.

It was a gamble, but really there wasn't any other choice.

"Go, Tavro!"

The hypno landed softly on his feet and looked up at Gengar, his face grim and determined.

The battle had reached its final stage.

* * *

 **You know what I was thinking as I reached the tail-end of this chapter? "We haven't had a cliff hanger in a while, have we?"**

 **So, here you are: a nice little cliff hanger to end the year on! Will Livvi and Tavro be able to overcome Morty's powerful gengar? And how will Alicia handle fighting the ghost type gym? I guess you'll have to find out in 2018!**

 **Thanks for all your support this year. As ever, I appreciate any feedback you have on this chapter and don't forget to leave a like on the Facebook page.**

 **Until next time!**

* * *

 **Team Listings:**

 **Livvi Weston:**

 **Active:**

 **Barru** (Ivysaur): male, timid, highly persistent, likes sweet food, grass-poison type, Overgrow ability, knows Double-Edge, Sludge Bomb, Solar Beam and Leech Seed.

 **Evoro** (Jolteon): male, jolly, alert to sounds, likes sweet food, electric type, Volt Absorb ability, knows Thunderbolt, Double Team, Double Kick and Quick Attack.

 **Tavro** (Hypno): male, quirky, loves to eat, eats anything, psychic type, Forewarn ability, knows Psychic, Hypnosis, Future Sight and Headbutt.

 **Litine** (Marill): female, mild, good endurance, likes dry food, water type, Thick Fat ability, knows Defence Curl, Rain Dance, Water Gun and Rollout.

 **Dacino** (Cyndaquil): male, adamant, loves to eat, likes spicy food, fire type, Blaze ability, knows Flamethrower, Swift, Flame Wheel and Smokescreen.

 **Ferru** (Teddiursa): male, hardy, loves to eat, eats anything, normal type, Pickup ability, knows Feint Attack, Fury Swipes, Lick and Fake Tears.

 **In Viridian City:**

 **Dorru** (Nidorina): female, quiet, mischievous, likes dry food, poison type, Rivalry ability, knows Fury Swipes, Double Kick, Poison Sting and Crunch.

 **Salea** (Blissey): female, gentle, somewhat vain, likes bitter food, normal type, Natural Cure ability, knows Softboiled, Psychic, Double-Edge and Egg Bomb.

 **Cylune** (Venomoth): male, modest, proud of its power, likes dry food, poison-bug type, Shield Dust ability, knows Stun Spore, Psychic, Toxic and Silver Wind.

 **Alicia Law:**

 **Active:**

 **Ruo** (Bayleef): male, naughty, often dozes off, likes spicy food, grass type, Overgrow ability, knows Body Slam, Synthesis, Razor Leaf and Safeguard.

 **Pari** (Dunsparce): male, quirky, likes to thrash about, eats anything, normal type, Serene Grace ability, knows Rollout, Screech, Yawn and Dig.

 **Saffa** (Magikarp): female, rash, often lost in thought, likes dry food, water type, Swift Swim ability, knows Splash.

 **Balva** (Slugma): male, hasty, a little quick tempered, likes sweet food, fire type, Flame Body ability, knows Harden, Rock Slide, Flamethrower and Amnesia.


	13. Nightmare Battle (Part 2)

**Hello and welcome to another chapter of** _ **Pokémon Journey: Livvi's Johto Scrapbook**_ **!**

 **Last time, we ended on a cliff hanger with Livvi and Tavro facing off against Morty and his powerful gengar. And beyond that, Alicia still has to worry about her gym battle with Morty as well.**

 **Upload Date: 31** **st** **January 2018**

* * *

 **Chapter 13: Nightmare Battle (Part 2)**

 _Ecruteak City, Johto_

 _12:45pm, 28_ _th_ _April 2006_

"Watch out!" Livvi cried.

Tavro grunted in pain as he was struck by the sinister ball of shadows and thrown back.

"Shadow Punch!"

Across the arena, Morty gave his gengar another order. The ghost pokémon nodded and thrust his fist into the ground. The fist emerged from a spot in the shadows next to Tavro, striking him in the stomach before he had a chance to react.

"There's really nothing Livvi and Tavro can do to avoid that Shadow Punch, is there?" Alicia murmured as she watched from the stands.

It was impossible for them to predict exactly where it was going to come from and Gengar always struck from such a close point that there was no time to get clear. Keeping moving was the best defence, but that also meant that Tavro was less able to focus on his attacks. It was a perfect strategy to keep him contained.

"Shadow Ball!" Morty called.

Flashing his sinister grin again, Gengar gathered another ball of shadows and prepared to throw it at the still-prone Tavro. This might be it!

Fortunately, a blast of psychic energy suddenly came out of nowhere and struck Gengar. As he screamed in pain, the chilling sound echoing around the arena, his ball of shadows dissipated.

"Phew!" Livvi allowed herself a brief moment of relief. The attack that Tavro had set up earlier had finally caught up with them. They had an opening. "Use Future Sight!"

Tavro's eyes glowed for a couple of seconds before fading again. He may well have just saved himself again.

Gengar was back up, looking decidedly less jovial than he had before. He cloaked his fist in shadows and plunged it into the ground.

"Jump left!" Livvi shouted as she spotted the shadow by Tavro's right foot starting to move.

Reacting quickly, Tavro dived to one side, but it was to no avail. Even with Livvi's constant watch and warnings, they still couldn't get away. The punch struck his shoulder and knocked him to the ground again.

"Psychic!" Livvi shouted. They needed to try something different. Seizing even the smallest of opportunities was their only chance.

Tavro's eyes lit up, managing to catch Gengar before he had time to react. The ghost pokémon struggled violently as he was lifted into the air. He attempted to hurl another ball of shadows at Tavro, but missed in his panic.

Focusing his energy, Tavro hurled Gengar back. He landed softly, as all ghost pokémon did, but he was starting to look exhausted as he pulled himself up. Livvi and Tavro had managed to get in some attacks before he'd trapped them with his Shadow Ball, Shadow Punch combination, plus there was the damage from Future Sight to consider.

Still, Tavro was weakened as well. Ghost type moves didn't leave physical marks, but fighting such sinister foes was a mental strain. It was starting to show on his face.

"Use Psychic!" Livvi shouted. They needed to strike now, and hard. If Gengar regained the initiative, then it was over.

Tavro grunted and narrowed his eyes as he started focusing. He twitched his forehead in pain. Still, Gengar was lifted off the ground again, Tavro's powers assailing his mind. Once again, he gathered together a ball of shadows and hurled it at Tavro. It struck him directly in the stomach, sending out a small shock wave and sending him flying back.

"Tavro!" Livvi cried in alarm.

The hypno rolled over and forced himself back to his feet, staggering around to face Gengar. He was almost completely finished.

"Shadow Punch!" Morty shouted.

Gengar obliged. Shouting his frustration at how long it had taken to defeat this opponent, he plunged his fist into the ground once more.

Across from him, Tavro remained where he was stood, swaying slightly from side to side in his exhaustion. He looked up at Gengar.

The ghost pokémon's grin twitched slightly. There was a small smile on his opponent's face, not the despair and dread he normally saw at this point in the battle. As everything suddenly clicked into place, he looked around to his left.

Just in time to see a blast of psychic energy appear.

There was a blast, with Gengar thrown to the ground. As what remained of the energy dissipated, he continued laying still. Over on Tavro's side, the shadowy fist that had struck out towards his exposed side stopped and then vanished.

"Gengar is unable to battle!" the referee announced. "Hypno is the winner! All three of the gym leader's pokémon are unable to battle, so the winner of this match is the challenger, Olivia Weston from Viridian City!"

"We did it, Tavro!" Livvi cheered. She ran over to him as he dropped down to sit on the ground. Not being able to see many battle marks was disconcerting, especially given how worn out he was. Livvi quickly pulled out a potion from her bag and sprayed him with it. "You did great out there." She smiled as she recalled him to his poké ball.

"I really thought I had you there!" Morty said as he walked over to her. "Your hypno really was a tough fighter, as were the rest of your team."

"Thanks," Livvi replied. "I'm proud of all of them!"

"Rightly so." Morty nodded. He held out a purple, oval-shaped badge with two ghostly eyes on it. "This is the Fog Badge: recognition that your team was able to overcome us."

"Thanks, Morty," said Livvi, taking the badge. That made four badges. They were halfway to the Johto League.

"I guess I'll be fighting your friend next," said Morty, turning to glance up towards Alicia. "I look forward to seeing how she approaches the battle."

"I'm sure you'll have a great battle," said Livvi. "Thanks again, Morty." She waved as she turned and started walking back towards the entrance. Despite the murkiness of the gym, she was in high spirits, and not just because of her new gym badge.

For the first time, she felt as though she and Tavro had fought together completely in sync.

* * *

 _12:54pm, 28_ _th_ _April 2006_

"Congratulations, Livvi," Alicia said as she met up with her in the lobby of the gym. "And to your team as well!"

"They all did great, didn't they?" Livvi replied proudly. "I was worried about Tavro towards the end there, but he managed to pull through in the end."

"I hope I can match that," Alicia said uncertainly. "We've trained really hard, but most of my team doesn't do so well against ghost types."

That was a good point. Saffa was useless in a fight and Pari was limited to which of his moves would affect ghost types, while Ruo was at a type disadvantage against ghost-poison types like the gastly chain.

That left Balva as her main.

However, Livvi smiled confidently at her. "Don't worry. There are ways your pokémon can fight even if they aren't directly attacking the opponent."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Alicia asked.

"Hmm." Livvi pondered for a couple of seconds. "I think I'll leave that for you to work out on your own."

"No clues at all?" Alicia asked. She sounded disappointed.

"Don't worry. You'll definitely be able to think of something when you go up against Morty. I've seen you fight before and I know that you'll make it a tough battle."

"That's not really answering my question," Alicia sighed. "But thanks."

"It's good to think about things yourself every now and again," said Livvi, smiling. She patted Alicia on the head. "Now, get out there and show him what you're made of!"

"Got it!" Alicia nodded. She waved as Livvi continued walking towards the stands before turning back towards the corridor to the arena.

She took a deep breath.

Sure, it was going to be tough having to fight those ghost pokémon, but there was no way that she needed to be too worried. Her pokémon had fought hard in Goldenrod City and she was sure that they would here as well. As long as she kept her head, she was sure that she'd be fine.

With that reassuring thought in her mind, she strode down the corridor towards the arena.

* * *

 _12:56pm, 28_ _th_ _April 2006_

"Begin!"

With the referee's shout, the next gym battle began.

"Go, Ruo!" Alicia called, throwing out her first poké ball.

"Go, Haunter!" Morty threw out his own ball.

The two pokémon burst out of their balls and materialised on the battlefield.

"Use Razor Leaf!" Alicia yelled.

Ruo shouted out and swung his head, sending a flurry of leaves towards Haunter. The ghost hung in place, flinching slightly as they struck him. He quickly grinned sinisterly, not all that fussed by the attack.

"Use Curse!" Morty called.

Haunter winced in pain, a sinister black aura appearing around him. The same aura suddenly appeared around Ruo, who shuddered as if a chill had run through his body.

Morty and Haunter now had a long-term advantage, but Alicia knew that Haunter would have had to have drained his own energy for it. If they struck fast, then they'd be able to knock him out before the battle became too drawn out.

"Use Razor Leaf again!" she ordered.

Ruo fired another cluster of leaves at Haunter. The ghost winced again as the leaves slashed past him. It wasn't doing anywhere near as much damage as Alicia wanted, but it was her only real choice. Ruo's only other attack would have no effect whatsoever.

"Use Hypnosis!" Morty ordered.

Haunter's eyes lit up with a red glow as he homed in on Ruo.

"Safeguard!" Alicia shouted.

Ruo immediately threw up a mystical veil. The red glow vanished from Haunter's eyes, his sinister grin being replaced with a look of distaste.

"Hmm. A smart move!" Morty called. "Since Safeguard prevents status problems, it's impossible for Haunter to put your bayleef to sleep!"

"Haunter didn't use any attacks in the last battle!" Alicia replied. "I thought that his attacks might need his opponent to be asleep!" She was relieved that it had worked out – Safeguard was a move that Ruo had only recently picked up and she hadn't initially been sure which status effects were blocked by it.

"Excellent logic!" Morty grinned. "But are you correct?"

"We'll see! Use Razor Leaf!"

Ruo quickly fired a cluster of leaves towards Haunter, slashing at him as they passed. Though he grunted in discomfort, he didn't seem all that bothered by it. The battle was heading quickly towards being an attritional struggle. That didn't bode well for Ruo.

"Use Synthesis!" Alicia quickly ordered.

Ruo's body glowed as he absorbed what little surrounding light he could and converted it into energy. It dulled the pain that had been wracking his body since Haunter laid his curse upon him, but it was a temporary fix.

"She needs to switch," Livvi murmured. Anyone could see that it was a pointless battle to fight. As things stood, Safeguard would prevent Haunter from getting in a move, while Ruo was restricted to just Razor Leaf, which wasn't really doing enough damage to counteract the effects of Curse. As the two pokémon continued circling each other, Ruo occasionally firing leaves that did little damage, Livvi started to wonder what Alicia was really aiming for. Perhaps she wanted to trigger Ruo's Overgrow in the hope that the increased power would be enough to bring down Haunter?

There was a close save when Ruo's Safeguard wore off and they only just managed to put it up again before Haunter could hit Ruo with Hypnosis. By that stage, however, even Ruo's powered-up attacks were doing little to really damage Haunter. The pain from the curse had become even more severe and the bayleef was limping and panting increasingly severely. A final Razor Leaf missed its mark as Ruo toppled to the ground and fell silent.

"Bayleef is unable to battle! Haunter is the winner!"

Alicia gritted her teeth as she recalled Ruo to his poké ball. It had been a gamble and it hadn't paid off. Still, Ruo had managed to weaken Haunter a fair amount and she still had two pokémon ready to fight. Better yet, the effects of the most recent Safeguard would remain in place for a while afterwards, giving her an opportunity to knock out Haunter before he could immobilise them.

"Go, Pari!"

Pari materialised on the battlefield, looking across at Haunter uneasily. Though protected by Safeguard, there was nothing to stop him being cursed in the same way as Ruo and he wasn't exactly enthusiastic to follow that same way.

"Use Curse!" Morty immediately called.

"Use Rollout!"

Just like Ruo, Pari had also been learning a new attack. He bounced up and tucked himself into a ball to roll towards Haunter. He gained speed rapidly as a sinister black aura surrounded him. Haunter let out a cry as the dunsparce barrelled into him and blasted him back. Pari continued rolling, gaining more speed and power as he circled around to strike again. However, an unsettling feeling had come over him, like a chill running along his spine.

"Keep going! We can do this!" Alicia yelled encouragingly. Safeguard was still in effect; there was nothing more that Haunter could do to oppose them.

Pari tore forwards as Haunter settled towards the ground and recovered from the previous impact. He attempted to lift into the air again, but Pari was too quick for him. There was a crash as two collided, this time with Pari attacking from slightly above Haunter. The ghost pokémon was thrown to the ground. Though he landed softly, there was no doubt that he wasn't getting back up again.

"Haunter is unable to battle! Dunsparce is the winner!"

"Great work, Pari!" Alicia called encouragingly as Pari continued rolling, gaining even more power as he waited for his next opponent to appear.

"A good move!" Morty called over as he returned Haunter to his poké ball. "Let's see how you handle this next one!" He threw out another poké ball. A small, grey pokémon with wispy hair and a string of red jewels at its neck materialised and started hovering above the battlefield.

It was a misdreavus, just like the one Tessa had used against Livvi back in the National Park.

"Keep going with Rollout!" Alicia immediately shouted. There was no sense in holding back. As long as she hit hard and fast, she'd be able to knock out Misdreavus and regain the initiative.

Pari couldn't give a verbal response but altered the direction of his roll to aim towards Misdreavus. As he drew close, the ghost pokémon darted to the side to avoid him. Momentarily stunned by his target suddenly vanishing, Pari tumbled out of his roll and landed on his belly on the ground.

"Use Perish Song!" Morty ordered.

Misdreavus immediately started singing a haunting melody that sent a chill down Livvi, Alicia and Pari's spines. When Misdreavus stopped singing, however, nothing seemed to be happening. Pari looked about in confusion, but he couldn't feel any additional pain on top of the curse slowly building up within him.

Alicia wasn't so sure. Morty wouldn't have used a move for no reason. It may well be a move that dealt damage later on, like Future Sight. She'd need to keep an eye out for it so that she could warn Pari and otherwise let him focus on knocking out Misdreavus before he could cause any more trouble.

"Use Screech!" she called.

Pari immediately let out a loud screech, the horrendous sound piercing the air and causing Misdreavus to tense in discomfort.

"Now use Rollout again!"

Jumping into the air and tucking himself into a ball again, Pari tore towards Misdreavus. However, the ghost pokémon spun out of his way again.

"Use Mean Look!" Morty ordered.

Misdreavus came to a stop a fixed Pari with a fierce look, keeping him transfixed as he slowly shuffled back towards Alicia. It looked as though Morty meant to keep Pari out in the field in much the same way his own pokémon was confined there. So much for the rule that allowed challengers to switch their pokémon around!

Still, Alicia wasn't too worried. Pari was starting to suffer from the effects of the curse, but he was otherwise in good shape and had the strength necessary to bring Misdreavus down. A final effort would be enough to give Alicia and her remaining team members the edge in the battle.

"Use Rollout!" she called.

Pari immediately started rolling towards Misdreavus again. This time, he anticipated his movement and altered his route at the last second. There was a crash and a cry of pain as the ghost pokémon was hurled back.

"And again!" Alicia yelled.

Drawing on his momentum, Pari continued racing forwards towards the exposed Misdreavus. He once again managed to strike him directly and knocked him back further. As Pari circled around in preparation for a third and final approach, Misdreavus lifted himself painfully into the air again. He shot a defiant look at Pari as he began his charge. There was no attempt to dodge.

Yet, moments before Pari would strike Misdreavus, he suddenly fell out of his roll and crashed to the ground. Just in front of him, Misdreavus also dropped to the ground. It was as if both had suddenly been drained of all their energy.

"Both Misdreavus and Dunsparce are unable to battle!"

"Wh-What?" Alicia exclaimed, stunned by the suddenness of the double knockout.

"Perish Song!" Morty called to her as he withdrew Misdreavus. "All pokémon who hear it will be knocked out a short while afterwards!"

"It affected Misdreavus as well?" Alicia cried in surprise. "How did that help?"

"Well, it looks like we're both down to our last pokémon now," Morty replied, holding up a poké ball. "Wouldn't you say that's better than two against one?"

As a normal type, Pari was immune to ghost type attacks. That must mean that Misdreavus lacked direct attacks that could cause him damage. Still, using a move aimed at bringing the foe down as well as the user seemed like an excessive move.

"Go, Balva!" Alicia decided to push it out of her mind and focus. After all the training they'd been doing, she was sure that Balva would be able to hold out against Morty's last pokémon.

"Go, Gengar!" Morty shouted.

Both Balva and Gengar burst out of their poké balls and materialised on the ground. They fixed each other with stares, expressing their defiance and determination to emerge victorious. Alicia shuddered slightly at the sight of Gengar. Nothing good ever came from her encounters with gengar. It wasn't a good sign for the final round, even if she'd kind of expected to see him.

"Use Shadow Ball!"

This time, Morty was going for the immediate attack. Gengar was quick to respond as well, hurling a ball of clustered shadows towards Balva.

"Rock Slide!" Alicia yelled.

Reacting instinctively, Balva sent a cluster of boulders flying up into the air in front of him. Gengar's attack struck the boulders, exploding and sending them flying in all directions.

"Flamethrower!"

From the smoky aftermath, a bright stream of orange flames suddenly erupted. Gengar was too slow to react and was hit. He shrieked in pain as the flames singed his body. Balva, meanwhile, slithered out of the wreckage of his rocky shield, his eyes fixed on Gengar as he prepared for another blow.

Of Alicia's three battling pokémon, Balva was the one who had grown the most over the last couple of days. She wanted to put his new moves to work as quickly and effectively as possible. It seemed to be working for now.

"Use Flamethrower again!"

Balva fired another burst of flames towards Gengar, who this time jumped clear at the last moment. He plunged his fist into the ground, only for it to erupt from the shadows around Balva and strike him in the flank. As the slugma winced, Gengar flung another ball of shadows towards him. The hit sent him flying back towards Alicia, landing in a heap amid the shattered boulders from earlier.

"Use Amnesia!" Alicia shouted.

A blank look suddenly came over Balva's face for a second, replacing the grimace of pain from the impact. Giving himself a shake, he moved forwards again and fired another blast of flames towards Gengar, who dodged to the side and hurled another ball of shadows at him. A quick change in the direction of his attack and Balva was able to quickly intercept it, causing a bright explosion in the centre of the field.

"Shadow Punch!"

"Rock Slide!"

As Gengar threw a punch at the ground, Balva focused his weight into the ground below, sending a cluster of boulders flying up around him. Gengar's fist flew out of the shadows and struck one of the boulders, causing it to crack and crumble into pieces. Balva moved forwards again, hurling a new cluster of boulders and fragments of the earlier ones towards Gengar. The ghost pokémon, still reeling from the unexpected impact of his punch, didn't have enough time to dodge and was buried under the cascade of debris.

"Flamethrower!" Alicia yelled, knowing that this alone wouldn't be enough to defeat him.

Balva let out a loud groan as he drew in air for his attack. Across the field, boulders suddenly flew out in all directions at Gengar leaped back out of the rumble, his sinister grin gone and replaced with a frown. He hurled another ball of shadows towards Balva, only to be intercepted by the jet of flames coming the other way.

Not pausing to rest, Gengar immediately threw his fist towards the ground again. As it reappeared in the shadows around Balva, he stiffened the magma on the outside of his body in defence. He took the punch to the side, but a burst of flames suddenly shot out around Gengar's fist, travelling backwards into the shadows. Across the arena, the flames suddenly shot out of the ground and engulfed Gengar's body, eliciting a cry of pain in response. Balva's body was made of magma, so it was inevitable that touching it directly would result in a burn.

"Here's our chance! Flamethrower!" Alicia yelled.

Balva wasted no time. He fired another burst of flames towards Gengar, who was clutching his hand and wincing in pain. Despite his distractions, he managed to avoid the attack and prepared to throw another ball of shadows back at Balva.

"Rock Slide and then Flamethrower!" Alicia shouted desperately.

Balva immediately slammed the ground, sending a pile of boulder and splintered rock tumbling towards Gengar. The ball of shadows punched a hole through the centre but failed to stop it. As Gengar attempted to dive to one side, Balva fired a burst of flames towards him. As it caught up with the boulders and other debris, it looped around and through the gaps between them, bursting outwards once it was through.

The sudden increase in the area of effect made it impossible for Gengar to avoid. As the flames engulfed him, he tumbled backwards and landed on the ground with a soft thud. There was a series of crashes as the boulders slammed to the ground around him. As the dust and smoke cleared, the ghost pokémon made no attempt to get back up.

"Gengar is unable to battle! Slugma is the winner! Since all three of the gym leader's pokémon are unable to battle, the winner of this match is the challenger, Alicia Law from Cherrygrove City!"

"We did it!" Alicia exclaimed. Realising that her forehead was dripping with sweat from the suddenly much increased temperature in the room, she reached up and wiped it with the back of her hand. A weary Balva crawled back over towards her, relieved that he'd managed to pull it off. "You did perfectly, Balva! This was all down to you managing to hold off Gengar!"

"A very impressive battle!" Morty called across as he recalled Gengar. "Both you and your slugma were resourceful and determined, though all of your team put in a great effort in this battle."

"Thanks," Alicia said breathlessly. "Your team were really tough and I was worried that my pokémon wouldn't be a match for them for a while!"

"I'm sure they appreciate the compliment!" Morty said. He chuckled. "Still, to have lost two battles in one day? I guess I need to work harder to improve myself, so I don't become a liability to my pokémon." He shook his head as the referee walked over with a small box. Taking the purple badge contained within, he offered it to Alicia. "The Fog Badge is yours. Let it be a symbol of the trials you and your pokémon overcame here."

"Thank you!"

* * *

 _1:27pm, 28_ _th_ _April 2006_

"Well done, Alicia!" Livvi called cheerfully as she walked across the lobby of the gym to meet up with her.

"Thanks!" Alicia grinned in response. "I was really worried for a second there, but Balva and the others managed to hold it together!"

"It really was a great battle," Livvi replied. "Or rather, your battle with Balva was."

"Ah, yeah." Alicia nodded guiltily. "We could have done better in the early stages of the battle."

" _You_ could have done better in the early stages of the battle." Livvi corrected her. "Ruo did the best he could, but you really should have realised that recalling him and switching over to Pari or Balva would have given you the chance to use him later on."

"I'm sorry," Alicia mumbled.

"Don't worry about it!" Livvi patted her on the shoulder. "I don't think there are many people who finish a battle and can't think of _any_ way that they could have done it better." She briefly glanced at the clock above the reception desk. "Anyway, I guess we should head back to the pokémon centre for now. We need to plan where we're going to head next."

"We've got a choice, haven't we?" Alicia grinned, grabbing hold of Livvi's arm as they started walking towards the exit.

"West to Olivine City, or east to Mahogany Town." Livvi nodded. "I think it'll probably be better to head to Olivine first though."

"We haven't seen the sea for some time, have we?" Alicia sighed. "There's a gym in Olivine, right?"

"Yeah. The route there is supposed to be easier as well since the valleys between here and there are mostly open and clear."

"I wonder if what kind of pokémon we'll see on the way there…"

"Actually, we could probably afford to stay in Ecruteak another day if you wanted. I feel a little bad about it, but I planned our stay here to last until the day after tomorrow in case one of us lost against Morty."

"I'd love to spend more time here! Where should we go tomorrow? There are so many things to see here…"

The two of them continued talking, excitedly making plans for the following day as they walked back towards the pokémon centre.

* * *

 **So, victories for both Livvi and Alicia in this chapter. Tavro may well have finally accepted Livvi's strength and started listening to her, while Alicia's team are going from strength to strength as well. I particularly enjoyed interpreting Shadow Punch and ways that Livvi and Alicia could counter it in this chapter.**

 **Anyway, it's now time for the girls to start thinking about heading down to Olivine City for the next stage of their gym challenge. I'm expecting to put up Chapter 14 after Chapter 52 of** _ **Hoenn**_ **goes up at the start of March.**

 **As ever, I appreciate any feedback you have on this chapter and don't forget to leave a like on the Facebook page.**

 **Until next time!**

* * *

 **Team Listings:**

 **Livvi Weston:**

 **Active:**

 **Barru** (Ivysaur): male, timid, highly persistent, likes sweet food, grass-poison type, Overgrow ability, knows Double-Edge, Sludge Bomb, Solar Beam and Leech Seed.

 **Evoro** (Jolteon): male, jolly, alert to sounds, likes sweet food, electric type, Volt Absorb ability, knows Thunderbolt, Double Team, Double Kick and Quick Attack.

 **Tavro** (Hypno): male, quirky, loves to eat, eats anything, psychic type, Forewarn ability, knows Psychic, Hypnosis, Future Sight and Headbutt.

 **Litine** (Marill): female, mild, good endurance, likes dry food, water type, Thick Fat ability, knows Defence Curl, Rain Dance, Water Gun and Rollout.

 **Dacino** (Cyndaquil): male, adamant, loves to eat, likes spicy food, fire type, Blaze ability, knows Flamethrower, Swift, Flame Wheel and Smokescreen.

 **Ferru** (Teddiursa): male, hardy, loves to eat, eats anything, normal type, Pickup ability, knows Feint Attack, Fury Swipes, Lick and Fake Tears.

 **In Viridian City:**

 **Dorru** (Nidorina): female, quiet, mischievous, likes dry food, poison type, Rivalry ability, knows Fury Swipes, Double Kick, Poison Sting and Crunch.

 **Salea** (Blissey): female, gentle, somewhat vain, likes bitter food, normal type, Natural Cure ability, knows Softboiled, Psychic, Double-Edge and Egg Bomb.

 **Cylune** (Venomoth): male, modest, proud of its power, likes dry food, poison-bug type, Shield Dust ability, knows Stun Spore, Psychic, Toxic and Silver Wind.

 **Alicia Law:**

 **Active:**

 **Ruo** (Bayleef): male, naughty, often dozes off, likes spicy food, grass type, Overgrow ability, knows Body Slam, Synthesis, Razor Leaf and Safeguard.

 **Pari** (Dunsparce): male, quirky, likes to thrash about, eats anything, normal type, Serene Grace ability, knows Rollout, Screech, Yawn and Dig.

 **Saffa** (Magikarp): female, rash, often lost in thought, likes dry food, water type, Swift Swim ability, knows Splash.

 **Balva** (Slugma): male, hasty, a little quick tempered, likes sweet food, fire type, Flame Body ability, knows Harden, Rock Slide, Flamethrower and Amnesia.


	14. Charge of the Rhyhorn

**Hello and welcome to another chapter of** _ **Pokémon Journey: Livvi's Johto Scrapbook**_ **!**

 **Last time, Livvi and Alicia won their gym battles against Morty in Ecruteak City. With four badges earned, they now turn their attention to the next major city with a gym – Olivine.**

 **Upload Date: 28** **th** **February 2018**

* * *

 **Chapter 14: Charge of the Rhyhorn**

 _Route 38, Johto_

 _10:27am, 1_ _st_ _May 2006_

There was something very refreshing about the open air and natural surroundings as Livvi and Alicia walked along the road at the bottom of a valley leading south-west towards Olivine City. Since Goldenrod, they'd been travelling in urban areas so much that it was liberating being back in the wild. There'd been that episode in the forest before, but the dense trees and spooky atmosphere hadn't given it the same effect.

They'd set off from Ecruteak City the previous day and the journey had been relatively uneventful so far. The two of them were still on a high after winning their fourth gym badges two days ago. If they won another one each, then they'd have less badges left to earn than they had already.

"What sort of pokémon do you think the gym leader in Olivine City will use?"

Livvi glanced over at Alicia upon hearing her speak.

"That's a good question. It's probably best to be careful – I hear that gym leaders use stronger teams when challengers have more gym badges."

"I guess we'll have to train more to make up for it. I wonder what other kinds of moves I could teach my team to prepare for the next one…?"

That sounded like a good idea. Livvi made a mental note to come up with some ideas for new moves for her team when it came to training for the next gym. Though she did think that it was a greater concern for Alicia than it was for her. The three pokémon she still had with her who'd been caught the previous year were all pretty strong and even her new additions had a fairly good pool of moves between them. There was little to worry about there.

Alicia's team still had some weaknesses. Above all, Livvi still couldn't quite believe that Alicia had kept Saffa the magikarp on her team. There was no denying that she'd be powerful if she were to evolve into a gyarados, but she hadn't seen any sign of that happening any time soon. Ruo was, unexpectedly, something of a weak link as well – the battle against Morty had shown that he suffered a lot against pokémon he was weak against.

On the other hand, Balva and Pari had both performed well in recent battles. It seemed to Livvi that Alicia's real problem was a continuing lack of diversity on the team which put them at a disadvantage in certain situations.

…Well, that was something to think about closer to the gym battle. For now, Livvi wanted to just enjoy being out in the open and travelling to an exciting new destination.

"Is there anything between here and Olivine City?" Alicia asked.

"I don't think so. Just a handful of small farms and scattered villages. It's not exactly a wilderness, but it's not the sort of place you'd normally go if you had the choice."

"I guess it'll be a quiet journey down to Olivine then?"

"Yeah, probably."

* * *

 _10:48am, 1_ _st_ _May 2006_

One of the main difficulties on a pokémon journey was never knowing exactly what was going to happen at any given moment. What starts as a quiet, unremarkable day can change into a nightmare in a matter of seconds depending on what kind of obstacle appears. This is especially true when pokémon are concerned and even more so with wild ones.

That's why pokémon trainers have to be ready for anything and watch out for the slightest changes in their surroundings.

"Huh? What's up?"

Alicia glanced back at Livvi in confusion, noticing that she'd stopped walking.

"Can you feel that?"

"Feel what?"

As she asked that, Alicia suddenly started feeling it too. The ground was vibrating slightly beneath her feet. It had been small when she first noticed, but it was rapidly building. An earthquake? Perhaps, but it seemed to be moving slower than an earthquake would. Or maybe a very heavy vehicle travelling in their direction? That didn't really seem plausible either.

Regardless, it seemed to be approaching from along the road, which stretched around the side of the mountain on their left. Alicia felt adrenaline rush through her body as she was filled by the instinct to run and hide from whatever was approaching them from around the corner. There was something exciting about it as well.

"Come on!"

Livvi grabbed her hand and the two of them quickly ran to the side of the road. They climbed a short distance up the slope by the road and perched themselves behind a tree, looking back down as they waited. The ground was shaking even more violently now, and they started the thundering of heavy footsteps.

"What is it?"

Alicia turned to Livvi.

"I'm not sure, but it sounds like a herd of pokémon all travelling this way. Maybe tauros?"

"I thought it might have been an earthquake at first…"

As the rumbling and shaking got closer, they finally spotted the cause. A large number of grey, bulky rhyhorn were charging along the road, kicking up an enormous dust cloud as they went. It seemed comparatively well-ordered, so they were probably just migrating.

Livvi and Alicia watched them as they rushed past them. The shaking was pretty intense and they needed to hold on tight to the tree to keep themselves from being bounced off the slope. The noise of the rhyhorn charging was deafening. Alicia briefly attempted to speak to Livvi, but neither of them could hear anything she was saying.

The herd seemed to be quite a large one and it took a couple of minutes before all of them had passed and the shaking started subsiding. The dust finally started settling on the ground and quiet slowly descended on the area again.

Alicia and Livvi finally left the tree and slid back down to the road. They could make out the dust cloud the rhyhorn were leaving behind further down the valley – it must be very easy to keep track of them. It was a dirt road, so there wasn't any significant damage to it. Thinking about it, Livvi supposed that this was because rhyhorn migrations were probably common in this area.

"That was pretty crazy. I guess we should get going again, right?"

Alicia had quickly turned her attention back to the turn in the road they'd been walking towards.

"Yeah, guess so. It's weird that the town map didn't mention that rhyhorn would be an issue on this route."

"Maybe it's out of date? That, and it _is_ still just a map – it can't tell you absolutely everything about every route since it's not big enough."

"Well, that's true. Maybe an atlas or a guidebook would be better?"

"Anyway, shall we get moving? It would be a shame if we couldn't get to where we need to because we were held up here for too long."

The two girls resumed their journey along the valley road. It had been odd to suddenly see a herd of rhyhorn on the march, but in a way that was just part of adventuring in the pokémon world. There was no denying that it was exciting wondering exactly what was going to be waiting for them around the corner.

* * *

 _11:13am, 1_ _st_ _May 2006_

After travelling further along the road, Livvi and Alicia had encountered a local farmer while passing his fields. According to him, it was normal for the rhyhorn to travel through the area at this time of year and that there were signs up warning people about them.

Once he'd pointed them out, they did look very obvious. Livvi had a vague recollection of seeing other ones earlier, but not really paying that much attention to them. Still, they at least knew that they didn't need to worry about dealing with something that was unusual for the area.

The downside was that the farmer had told them that there were multiple herds of rhyhorn living in the valleys, all of whom made a migration around this time. Effectively, the rhyhorn had taken over the roads out here for the next month or so. Still, the odds of encountering more than one herd in a single day were pretty slim, so they had been able to relax as they said goodbye and resumed their journey.

"I wonder if we took the wrong way," Livvi said as they continued walking.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, there's the route south of the mountains through the city, but I'd have thought that there'd be a route through these mountains that was clear throughout the year, since trainers prefer going through wilder areas…"

"I don't think you can get much wilder than a place where you could be trampled by a herd of rhyhorn."

"You know what I mean. Maybe I should have double-checked with that farmer to make sure that we're on the route I think we are."

"I guess so, but we're definitely heading towards Olivine City, so I don't think it really matters that much."

Livvi was about to respond when they turned a corner in the road and suddenly spotted a large, grey shape lying by the side of the road.

"That's…!"

"It's a rhyhorn. Is there another herd coming?"

"I don't think so – I can't hear anything and I don't think a single rhyhorn would come this far ahead of the rest of the herd."

"Is there something wrong with it?"

Alicia, relaxing slightly now that she knew they wouldn't have to quickly dive off the road, pulled out her Pokédex and pointed it at the rhyhorn.

" _Rhyhorn the spikes pokémon. Rhyhorn run in a straight line, smashing everything in their path. They are not bothered even if they rush headlong into a block of steel. These pokémon may feel some pain from the collision the next day, however. Their brains are very small. They are so dense, while on a run they forget why they started running in the first place. They apparently remember sometimes if they demolish something._ "

"It looks like it's injured. If the Pokédex is accurate, then maybe it collided with something yesterday or the day before."

Livvi cautiously approached the rhyhorn. Sensing her approach, it let out a guttural growl to warn her off. It tried to get back to its feet but slumped back to the ground.

"Look at its legs. They're more swollen that they appear in the Pokédex."

"There's some dried blood as well, but I think it just seems really dazed and confused. It's probably exhausted."

"What should we do about it?"

"I guess we could find the nearest pokémon centre and let someone know that it's here."

"Can't we take it there ourselves? It might get trampled by another herd of rhyhorn if we leave it here."

"It's far too heavy for us to carry and we might end up injuring it even more if we try."

"What about Tavro? Couldn't he carry it with telekinesis?"

Livvi frowned as she glanced between Alicia's hopeful face and the rhyhorn.

"I still think that it would end up hurting the rhyhorn. It would really scare it as well – it wouldn't know that we're trying to help it."

"Is there nothing we can do?"

"I suppose you could catch it in a poké ball if it's wild. That way we could transport it without worrying about making its injuries worse."

"Is that okay? I thought that you needed to battle a pokémon in order to catch it?"

"You only battle them to weaken them. This rhyhorn is already weak, so it shouldn't be too difficult to catch." Since Alicia still seemed hesitant, Livvi let out a sigh and spoke again. "Look, if you're worried about whether it would want to come with you, don't. Once we've taken it to the pokémon centre, you can always release or whatever later."

"Alright."

Alicia pulled off her backpack and pulled out a poké ball. She quickly threw it at the rhyhorn. It bounced off its back and sucked it inside. It shook as it dropped to the ground, shuddering as it attempted to contain the rhyhorn. Finally, there was a click as it finished sealing.

"Great! Let's head off and find a pokémon centre!"

Livvi patted Alicia on the head as she passed. They quickly set off along the road.

* * *

 _1:47pm, 1_ _st_ _May 2006_

Fortunately, the two girls didn't have to travel too far before finding a pokémon centre. The valley widened out as it joined another, larger valley heading from north to south. This valley was full of farmland and wide-open areas dotted with patches of woodland. The terrain was much less demanding than further back, which boded well for the rest of their journey to Olivine City.

There was a pokémon centre by a fork in the road leading north. The path they were following took them in from the east just a short distance south of it. After the hurried journey to get there, it was a very welcome sight.

"You don't need to run!"

Livvi laughed at Alicia at she made to bolt towards the pokémon centre as they moved onto the main path.

"But the rhyhorn…"

"It's still in the poké ball, right? You don't need to worry about its injuries getting worse while it's in there."

"I didn't know that."

The two of them walked over to the entrance and passed through as the automatic doors whirred open for them. Surprisingly, there were more people than they'd been expecting there. Another three trainers were in the lobby, while at least another ten were in the trainers' lounge. There were a number sat in the restaurant having lunch as well.

…It might well be worth stopping here for lunch now that they were here.

While Livvi was thinking that, Alicia quickly made her way over to the left-hand side of the reception desk, where all medical inquiries were directed.

"Excuse me, we found this rhyhorn injured on the road…"

"One of the rhyhorn?" The nurse reached over and picked up the poké ball that Alicia had placed on the counter. "Was it with its herd at the time?"

"We think it got left behind…"

"And what time did you find it?"

"Umm, about…" Alicia glanced around at Livvi for help.

"Maybe two hours or so?" Livvi said uncertainly.

"Thank you." The nurse put the poké ball on a tray and beckoned a chansey from the back to come and take it. "We get a lot of rhyhorn brought in here injured around this time of year. It's a rough life in the herds and some get left behind if they run out of energy. You don't need to worry about it though – it'll be in safe hands with us!"

"That's a relief. Will you let me know when it's gotten better?"

"That might be a little while. We usually keep them in at least overnight, sometimes longer depending on the injuries or how exhausted they are. I can keep you updated for as long as you're staying here at this pokémon centre."

"Got it. Thank you."

Alicia stepped away from the counter and walked over to Livvi.

"So, I guess we're staying here for tonight."

"Huh?" Alicia looked at her.

"Well, you'll be worried if we just head on our way without knowing what happened to the rhyhorn, right?" Livvi smiled. "I was thinking that we should stop here for lunch anyway and it's not like we're on a tight time limit. If we stay here tonight, then it just means we'll have to be faster tomorrow – there's nothing stopping us."

"If that's really okay, then can we do that?" Alicia asked.

"Sure, not a problem." Livvi nodded. "I'll head over and book us a room. Do you want to go and get a table in the restaurant for lunch?"

"I will!" Alicia nodded eagerly. She started walking over towards the entranceway on the left side of the lobby.

* * *

 _11:26am, 2_ _nd_ _May 2006_

While the rhyhorn had mostly recovered by the following morning, the weather had taken a turn for the worse. After all the bright sunshine of the previous day, now the ground outside was saturated under the relentless hammering of the rain. It wasn't the kind of day to spend outdoors for long periods and certainly not the kind of weather which would suit a recovering rhyhorn.

Livvi was privately relieved that they had an excuse not to continue pushing on towards Olivine City today. The ground would have been tough to walk on and she dreaded to think about what the dirt roads looked like in these conditions. It would have been a difficult day to say the least and they'd probably have been wet all day.

Alicia, for her part, seemed content to hang around in the trainers' lounge, occasionally making trips around to the medical ward to see how the rhyhorn was doing. When she wasn't doing that, she was reading a guide to pokémon battling that she'd found on one of the bookshelves in the trainers' lounge. It was always a good time to pick up as much knowledge as she could, especially with a gym battle on the horizon.

Livvi had intended to do something similar, but an issue suddenly arose which required their attention.

"Everyone! I've been informed that one of the rhyhorn herds making the migration is heading in this direction. We need all your help to make sure that they all pass by the pokémon centre and don't crash into it!"

At the announcement from the receptionist, the gathered pokémon trainers had grumbled in annoyance. Of course, none of them wanted to go outside in these conditions. But they quickly recognised that, if they didn't help, then these conditions might come to them.

"I'm surprised that the rhyhorn are out in this," Alicia said as she and Livvi pulled on their raincoats and followed the others to the door. "Wouldn't rock types prefer to take shelter from the rain?"

"I guess it's like the Pokédex says: once they start running, they just keep on going."

"If they are heading directly for the pokémon centre though, then how are we going to stop them?"

Livvi frowned as she considered Alicia's question.

"I suppose they'll be weaker in the rain, perhaps? Or we could use pokémon that are strong against them."

The automatic doors opened and the howling wind blew into the lobby. The assembled trainers shuddered at the cold as they stepped out into the rain.

"Ugh!" Livvi grimaced. She hoped that they weren't going to be out there for that long.

However, it didn't take that long before they heard the sounds of thumping feet in the distance, just audible above the sound of the pouring rain. The charging rhyhorn were following the main path past the pokémon centre and up towards the north. Most of them wouldn't cause a problem, but those at the sides of the herd could veer off the path once they were past the fences while lined the path further down.

"Let's go, everyone!"

The trainers started calling out pokémon and prepared for the arrival of the rhyhorn.

"Go, Litine!"

"Go, Ruo!"

The marill and bayleef both materialised on the ground. Ruo gave himself a displeased shake as he felt the rain soak his body. Litine seemed pretty happy.

"Here they come! Everyone, keep your eyes open and make sure that they all stay on course!"

As it turned out, they didn't really need to do very much. Just having a line of pokémon and trainers stood by the side of the road was enough to help keep the rhyhorn on course. It was a large herd though and there was inevitably some spilling over.

"Watch out!"

Hearing the warning, Livvi and Alicia looked around to see a rhyhorn veer off the path and stampede towards them.

"Litine!" Livvi nodded at the marill, trying her best to keep her cool as the large pokémon came charging at her.

Litine fired a powerful blast of water at the rhyhorn, striking it on the left shoulder. It grunted in pain as slowed as it fought against the force of the water. Litine intensified the jet of water, forcing the rhyhorn to come almost to a stop. She gradually forced it to turn to the right and re-join the rest of the herd on the path.

"Phew! Nice work!" Livvi grinned at Litine, patting her on the head.

The marill trilled happily in reply, pushing her head eagerly against Livvi's hand.

"Whoa!"

Further along the line, an oddish belonging to one of the other trainers had suddenly started glowing and changing. This had happened to another pokémon earlier as well.

As the oddish finished evolving into a gloom, Livvi suddenly felt Alicia tugging urgently on her sleeve. At the same moment, she became aware of a glow from nearby. She looked down at Litine, who was suddenly cloaked in a bright light.

"She's evolving?" Alicia gasped.

"Looks like it," Livvi said. "I wonder if the other pokémon evolving had something to do with it?"

Litine's body grew larger, her small ears becoming much taller. As the last of the rhyhorn charged past and disappeared, the light around Litine faded.

"C-Congratulations, Litine!" Alicia exclaimed.

"Yeah, great work, Litine!" Livvi stroked her on the head again.

A couple of other trainers congratulated them as well as they headed back for the warmth of the lobby.

"I'm glad that's over!" Livvi sighed with relief as the door finally closed and everyone's raincoats started coming off. Now that they were back inside, she pulled out her Pokédex and pointed it at Litine.

" _Azumarill, the aqua rabbit pokémon and the evolved form of marill. An azumarill's long ears are indispensable sensors. By focusing their hearing, these pokémon can identify what kinds of prey are around, even in rough and fast-running rivers. Azumarill can make balloons out of air. They make these air balloons if they spot a drowning pokémon. The air balloons enable the pokémon in trouble to breathe._ "

"Wow! What a kind pokémon!" Alicia exclaimed as Livvi put her Pokédex away.

"I guess we don't have to worry about anything if we end up near any rivers then," said Livvi. She found herself suddenly feeling tired. After the brief excitement of dealing with the rhyhorn, going back to doing nothing in the pokémon centre made her feel a little empty.

"Come on – let's get changed out of these wet clothes."

Alicia tugged on her arm.

"Sure." Livvi nodded.

* * *

 _10:34am, 3_ _rd_ _May 2006_

With the poor weather persisting throughout the day, it was a relief to everyone to wake up the following day to see blue sky visible amongst the clouds. Though the ground outside still looked wet and muddy, they couldn't see any rain falling. Travelling today would be manageable and there was little reason to hang around here any longer.

"You make sure you take care of yourself in the future. And don't let your herd leave you behind again!" Alicia spoke firmly to the rhyhorn as she patted its nose. The pokémon grunted in response, rubbing its face against her palm.

After making some calculations based on the average speed of the rhyhorn herds and how long had passed between the girls finding the injured rhyhorn and arriving at the pokémon centre, the staff had managed to pinpoint the location of its herd. A couple of rangers responsible for the wellbeing of the rhyhorn in the area were on their way to pick it up and transport it up to re-join the others.

Having already turned over the poké ball she'd used to capture the rhyhorn to the pokémon centre staff, who'd disabled it, Alicia was ready to join Livvi. They'd agreed that they'd set off early to avoid being caught out by any more rain and didn't want to be held back waiting for the rangers to arrive so that they could say goodbye to the rhyhorn. Instead, it was the rhyhorn and the nurses who were seeing them off.

The two girls waved as they stepped away from the pokémon centre and started walking away down the valley.

"Don't worry. It'll be fine," said Livvi. "It's had a chance to recover and I'm sure it'll be able to keep up with the rest of its herd."

"Yeah." Alicia nodded. "I can't help but worry a little bit though. If it got left behind once, then it could be left behind again…"

"That's what life is like in the wild sometimes." Livvi gazed out over the valley as she spoke. "But I think that you're worrying unnecessarily – it'll be stronger from surviving and if it gets left behind again, then odds are it'll be found by another trainer…like we did."

"I guess you're right." Alicia moved over to walk by Livvi's side. "No use thinking about it, is there? I need to start worrying about the Olivine gym battle!"

"Now that's something I need to worry about as well!"

The two girls continued walking along the path, dodging the puddles left over from yesterday's rain. It was still a long way to Olivine City, but it felt as though their next gym battles were closer than ever.

* * *

 **So, a brief little adventure for Livvi and Alicia this time. I wanted to use this opportunity to touch on the issue of when a pokémon that is saved by a trainer doesn't automatically join them (despite being captured in a poké ball). Due to timing constraints and issues with the planning of this chapter, I couldn't go into as much depth as I'd have preferred, but hopefully this can serve as a preliminary look at the issue and I can examine it in more detail at a later point in the series.**

 **That, and it would have felt a bit too similar to Chapter 47 of _Pokémon Journey: Hoenn_ if I'd had Alicia capture the rhyhorn...**

 **Anyway, we'll be arriving in Olivine City next chapter, so I guess we've got a gym battle to look forward to.**

 **As ever, I appreciate any feedback you have on this chapter and don't forget to leave a like on the Facebook page.**

 **Until next time!**

* * *

 **Team Listings:**

 **Livvi Weston:**

 **Active:**

 **Barru** (Ivysaur): male, timid, highly persistent, likes sweet food, grass-poison type, Overgrow ability, knows Double-Edge, Sludge Bomb, Solar Beam and Leech Seed.

 **Evoro** (Jolteon): male, jolly, alert to sounds, likes sweet food, electric type, Volt Absorb ability, knows Thunderbolt, Double Team, Double Kick and Quick Attack.

 **Tavro** (Hypno): male, quirky, loves to eat, eats anything, psychic type, Forewarn ability, knows Psychic, Hypnosis, Future Sight and Headbutt.

 **Litine** (Azumarill): female, mild, good endurance, likes dry food, water type, Thick Fat ability, knows Double-Edge, Rain Dance, Hydro Pump and Rollout.

 **Dacino** (Cyndaquil): male, adamant, loves to eat, likes spicy food, fire type, Blaze ability, knows Flamethrower, Swift, Flame Wheel and Smokescreen.

 **Ferru** (Teddiursa): male, hardy, loves to eat, eats anything, normal type, Pickup ability, knows Feint Attack, Fury Swipes, Lick and Fake Tears.

 **In Viridian City:**

 **Dorru** (Nidorina): female, quiet, mischievous, likes dry food, poison type, Rivalry ability, knows Fury Swipes, Double Kick, Poison Sting and Crunch.

 **Salea** (Blissey): female, gentle, somewhat vain, likes bitter food, normal type, Natural Cure ability, knows Softboiled, Psychic, Double-Edge and Egg Bomb.

 **Cylune** (Venomoth): male, modest, proud of its power, likes dry food, poison-bug type, Shield Dust ability, knows Stun Spore, Psychic, Toxic and Silver Wind.

 **Alicia Law:**

 **Active:**

 **Ruo** (Bayleef): male, naughty, often dozes off, likes spicy food, grass type, Overgrow ability, knows Body Slam, Synthesis, Razor Leaf and Safeguard.

 **Pari** (Dunsparce): male, quirky, likes to thrash about, eats anything, normal type, Serene Grace ability, knows Rollout, Screech, Yawn and Dig.

 **Saffa** (Magikarp): female, rash, often lost in thought, likes dry food, water type, Swift Swim ability, knows Splash.

 **Balva** (Slugma): male, hasty, a little quick tempered, likes sweet food, fire type, Flame Body ability, knows Harden, Rock Slide, Flamethrower and Amnesia.


	15. Olivine's Steely Defence

**Hello and welcome to another chapter of** _ **Pokémon Journey: Livvi's Johto Scrapbook**_ **!**

 **Last chapter, Livvi and Alicia made their way along Route 38 in the middle of the rhyhorn migration season. In the midst of all this, Litine evolved into an azumarill.**

 **Upload Date: 22** **nd** **March 2018**

* * *

 **Chapter 15: Olivine's Steely Defence**

 _Olivine City, Johto_

 _4:10pm, 8_ _th_ _May 2006_

Dark clouds swirled above the port city of Olivine. A strong wind whipped across the city amid heavy rainfall. The streets were mostly deserted as people wisely chose to stay inside and avoid going out in the appalling weather. It wasn't the sort of day to spend outdoors for an extended period of time.

Livvi and Alicia's feet thudded on the ground as they ran along the road leading into Olivine City. The day had been fine when they'd first set off that morning, but the rain had come in during the afternoon. Even with their raincoats on, they were starting to get soaked.

They reached a crossroads and paused briefly. Taking cover under the narrow overhang of a nearby shop, Livvi pulled out her town map and examined it.

"We need to go right!" she called to Alicia. "When we reach the end of that road, we need to go right again. Then we should be at the gym!"

"Got it!" Alicia nodded.

The two of them started running again, their feet splashing as they crossed puddles on the pavement. Ideally, they'd have gone straight for the pokémon centre so that they could get dry and warm again, but they really wanted to book their slots before the gym closed. They didn't have that long to go.

Turning the final corner, they scurried over to the entrance of the gym. The lights were still on – they'd made it! They quickly walked through the door and paused to wipe the rain from their faces before heading over to the reception desk.

"Can I help you?" The receptionist grimaced as the two trainers dripped water across the floor on their way over.

"We want to book gym battle slots for tomorrow," Livvi replied. "Is there space?"

"Let's see…" The receptionist turned back to her computer and tapped away at her keyboard. "Yes, we've got lots of space left for tomorrow. What sort of time are you looking for?"

"What have you got around eleven o'clock?"

"We've got ten past, twenty-five past, half past and ten to twelve."

"What do you think?" Livvi turned to look at Alicia.

"Shall we go for the ones around half past?" Alicia asked. "That way we're right next to each other."

"Sounds good to me."

"I'll book you in then," said the receptionist. "May I have your trainer cards for a quick second?"

Livvi and Alicia both turned over their trainer cards and looked around the lobby as they waited. There was something rather soulless about the room – the walls were covered in steel and had few decorations. It was like it was part of a machine.

After the receptionist had returned their trainer cards, they said goodbye and headed back out into the rain.

"Which way do we need to go to get to the pokémon centre?" Alicia asked, raising her voice so Livvi could hear her over the wind.

"There should be one a couple of blocks away," Livvi replied. "I think I saw a sign while we were running here."

* * *

 _5:23pm, 8_ _th_ _May 2006_

"That was great work, Ruo!" Alicia called.

Ruo, stood in front of her, turned back and smiled cheerfully at her. He'd just finished firing a volley of sharp leaves across the practice arena. Though the rain was still hammering down, he didn't seem all that bothered by it at all. Alicia guessed that, as a grass type, it felt quite nice for him.

She, on the other hand, was increasingly feeling the effects of the cold rain. Her raincoat had already been soaked when she'd first arrived at the pokémon centre with Livvi and she had wanted to head straight back out to train before it could dry out again. The cold had really seeped into her bones after the half-hour that she'd already spent out in the rain.

She'd wanted to spend time training Balva – he'd started learning how to use Body Slam the previous day and Alicia thought that he could still use some practice before they had the move fully under control. However, there was no way that he could train under these conditions – his body hardened if the magma cooled and there were few places it would cool faster than out in this miserable weather.

Instead, she had Ruo, Pari and Saffa out – she was still determined to take advantage of the empty practice arenas. Though the magikarp was flopping about in a puddle, she was valiantly attempting to launch herself forwards. Pari and Ruo were more productive and had been doing well. Pari couldn't really practise using Dig while the ground was so saturated, but he was still making determined efforts to practise his other moves.

Alicia smiled, even as she shuddered. As long as her pokémon were still trying hard, she reckoned that they could stay out here for a little bit longer…

* * *

 _5:51pm, 8_ _th_ _May 2006_

"You've been out in this all this time?!"

Livvi had been waiting for Alicia in the lobby when she finally returned. She wasn't impressed – she'd already said that it was a bad idea to be out training in the rain and she was doubly irritated that Alicia had snuck off to train on her own.

"Don't worry – I feel fine!" Alicia assured her quickly. "And it was worth it: Pari and Ruo were keeping their moves really accurate despite the wind!"

"That's not the point," Livvi replied sternly. "Come on! You need to come and get warmed up."

She took Alicia's raincoat off for her before holding it awkwardly as she tried to figure out how to get it to the room without dripping too much water everywhere. She eventually grabbed Alicia's hand with her spare one and led her towards the staircase.

"Wow! Your hand feels so warm," Alicia said.

"That's because yours is frozen!" Livvi replied. "And your clothes are wet as well – why didn't you wait until your raincoat had dried out at least?"

"It would have gotten too late otherwise," Alicia explained. "Don't worry – I'll warm up quickly."

"I just hope that the weather is better tomorrow," Livvi sighed. "We won't be able to train properly if the weather is like this again…"

* * *

 _8:16am, 9_ _th_ _May 2006_

Livvi let out a sigh as she studied the thermometer she held in her hand. As she'd expected, the temperature was far higher than it should have been. She looked back at Alicia, who remained tucked up under the covers of her bed, occasionally coughing.

"Well?" she asked croakily.

"You're not getting up any time soon," Livvi replied firmly.

This wasn't exactly something that she couldn't have predicted. Alicia had been out in the cold and the rain so much yesterday that it hadn't really surprised her at all to wake up to find her in this state. A part of her was surprised that she hadn't come down with a fever as well, though she supposed that it was the extra time Alicia had spent training with her team that had pushed her to her limit.

There was no way that Alicia could fight a gym battle in her current condition – even getting up and walking about was a struggle. Standing in the challenger's corner for the duration of a battle while having to assess a constantly shifting situation and inform her pokémon's actions? No chance.

More importantly, Livvi needed to figure out exactly how she was going to help Alicia. Her first instinct had been to get a wet flannel to put on her forehead, but she remembered reading somewhere that it wouldn't really help. Still, it made her feel as though she'd done something at least. There was food to consider as well. Alicia claimed to not be hungry, but she'd need to keep her strength up if she was going to recover. She needed to stay hydrated as well.

The short answer was that, really, Livvi needed to stay with her to take care of her as long as she was like this. That meant missing her own gym battle as well, but that was something that could be put off until another day. Making sure that Alicia recovered quickly was a higher priority.

When she told Alicia that, the younger girl was quick to rebuke her.

"Don't worry about me," she said, before coughing. "I can just stay here and try to sleep. Besides, it's not even an hour…" She coughed again. "I can last that long by myself."

She had a point and Livvi certainly didn't want to let her opportunity to fight the gym leader pass her by. Moreover, once she'd gotten Alicia some food, made sure she'd got her enough water and so on, what next? Was she just going to sit around and read while she waited for the next duty?

If it was only for a short period of time, then it should be okay. It would give her an opportunity to look around for some medicine as well. Still, she didn't want to leave Alicia completely helpless.

"I want you to stay here with Alicia and make sure that she's okay while I'm out," she said to Tavro.

The hypno nodded seriously in response.

"Are you sure?" Alicia croaked. "Won't you need Tavro in your gym battle? It's okay to leave me for a while – I don't want to get in the way."

"You're not getting in the way," Livvi replied with a smile. "It'll make you feel bad if I miss my gym battle, right?" When Alicia nodded, she added, "And it'll make me feel bad if I leave you totally on your own. I'll feel better knowing that Tavro's there if you need him."

"…Alright." Alicia tucked herself back under her covers.

"I won't be going for a little while though. I need to go and find you something to eat…"

* * *

 _11:24am, 9_ _th_ _May 2006_

Livvi's thoughts continued drifting back towards Alicia right up until she moved out to stand in the challenger's corner on the main arena in the Olivine gym. Now that she was there, she needed to focus everything on making sure that she could take back news of her victory when she returned to the pokémon centre.

The interior of the arena was as mechanical and lifeless as the lobby had been – nothing but metal floors and walls. Even the seating up in the stands looked uncomfortable and cold. It really did feel like a gym that had been designed to be simple and spartan. Livvi could appreciate that in a way, but she preferred being in gyms whose leaders liked to decorate.

The gym leader, a young woman with long brown hair, had stepped out to stand opposite her, while the referee took her place at the side of the battlefield.

"Welcome to my gym!" the gym leader called. "I'm Jasmine, the leader of the Olivine gym!"

"Pleased to meet you!" Livvi called back. "I'm ready to start as soon as you are!"

"Tina, if you could…" Jasmine turned to look at the referee.

"This is an official Johto League gym battle between the Olivine City gym leader, Jasmine, and the challenger, Olivia Weston from Viridian City!" the referee announced. "This battle will be fought using a three-on-three single format and will be over when all of one side's pokémon are unable to continue battling! In addition, only the challenger will be allowed to substitute pokémon!"

As she shouted for the match to begin, both Livvi and Jasmine hurled their poké balls. As Litine materialised in front of her, Livvi immediately recognised the pokémon that had emerged from Jasmine's ball: a magnemite. This was going to be a tricky battle. She wondered if all the steel was to help conduct electricity – maybe Jasmine was an electric type specialist? If that were the case, then she might need to rethink. In any case, she didn't want to retreat without causing any damage.

"Hydro Pump!" she called.

Litine reacted quickly, firing a deluge of water towards the magnemite. The smaller pokémon took the attack directly and was blasted backwards. A split second later though, a jolt of electricity shot back along the powerful jet of water, electrocuting Litine before she had a chance to halt her attack.

As she staggered backwards, muscles twitching and spasming painfully, the magnemite flew forwards and fired a series of sonic blasts towards her. She managed to jump clear of the first one but the second and third ones hit her as she struggled to fight through the pain in her muscles and sent her flying backwards with surprising force.

Livvi stared at the little magnemite in shock – she hadn't expected it to pack as much of a punch as it did. Though she was convinced that Litine's attack had done a fair amount of damage, she was starting to wonder how long she'd be able to truly hold out against it. She contemplated trying to use Rain Dance to make their attacks more powerful but decided better of it – that was a sure-fire way of making the arena more conductive and hence more dangerous for Litine.

"Hydro Pump!"

Instead, she opted to stayed focused on the offensive. Litine's attack soared through the air, missing the magnemite by inches. However, she was quick to alter her aim and managed to smash into it before it could make a proper dodge of its own. No sooner had she scored a hit, she let up the attack. The electricity coursed through the water again, but this time there was no way for the current to flow directly into her.

"Thunderbolt again!"

Shakily flying up from the heap it had landed in, the magnemite quickly fired another blast of electricity, this time targeting Litine directly. The azumarill cried out in pain as she was struck and blasted back by the force of the electricity. She landed on her back but managed to roll back to her feet. Though still up, it was looking like she was losing the current battle of attrition.

"Litine, return!" Livvi made her decision and held up the azumarill's poké ball. As she returned to the capsule, Livvi started thinking over her next move.

"Oh, that was a nice move!" Jasmine called approvingly. "Lots of trainers I've battled would leave their pokémon out for much longer!"

"I learnt from my friend's experience!" Livvi called back as she put Litine's poké ball away. Since magnemite were part steel-type, there was a perfect pokémon for her to use next. "Go, Dacino!"

Dacino burst out of his poké ball and landed on the ground. His back flared up with intense flames as he looked across at the magnemite. It was quick to react to him, firing a blast of electricity in his direction, catching him off-guard and sending him flying back with a crash. However, he jumped straight back up, ignoring the spasms in his muscles and preparing to fight back.

"Flamethrower!"

He fired a burst of flames towards the magnemite eagerly. He was keen to demonstrate his power and put down his opponent as quickly as he could.

However, the magnemite swung to the side and avoiding the scorching flames. It fired back at Dacino, who panicked for a brief second before hearing Livvi's shout to duck low. The electricity passed just over him – a very narrow miss.

There was no time to be relieved though – the magnemite was already preparing to fire again! Somehow, they'd ended up on the backfoot again. Dacino quickly fired a blast of star-shaped rays at the magnemite as it began its attack. The electricity caused the stars to explode as the two attacks met but Dacino was unharmed.

"Flamethrower again!"

Dacino was confused by this – wasn't the magnemite just going to swing out of the way again? Did Livvi really know what she was doing? Still, he decided to trust her and fired a burst of flames at the magnemite. Sure enough, it dropped low and avoided the flames.

"Flame Wheel!" Livvi ordered.

Dacino realised that the magnemite was temporarily pinned down by the flames. Was this the opportunity that Livvi had been looking for? He had no hesitation – he jumped into the air, curling himself into a fiery ball as he plunged towards the magnemite.

There was a flash of fire and smoke as he hit his target. The magnemite dropped to the ground with a thud and lay still as he jumped backwards, trailing flames and smoke as he dropped out of his ball.

"The gym leader's magnemite is unable to battle! The challenger's cyndaquil is the winner!" the referee called.

"Wow! What a strong counter!" Jasmine gasped, recalling her magnemite to its ball. "Still, I guess that was to be expected from a fire type!"

"You did great, Dacino!" Livvi grinned at him.

Dacino grinned back. He'd just been following her orders after all – she'd been the one to spot the opening for him.

"Let's see how you handle this next one!" Jasmine threw out her next poké ball.

A huge shape materialised on the battlefield. At first, Livvi thought that it was an onix, but it seemed much larger than that. And with the steel covering its body as well? She'd heard that onix could evolve into a pokémon named steelix – was this one of them? She quickly reached for her Pokédex.

" _Steelix, the iron snake pokémon and the evolved form of onix. They chew their way through boulders with their sturdy jaws. Their eyes can see in the dark underground. Steelix live even further underground than onix. These pokémon are known to dig towards the earth's core. There are records of these pokémon reaching a depth of over six-tenths of a mile underground._ "

"Use Rock Throw!"

At Jasmine's command, the steelix sent a boulder flying towards Dacino. He jumped back to avoid the impact, but the boulder splintered and several chunks flew on to hit him directly. As he crashed to the ground the steelix surged forwards, hurling another boulder. This time, he avoided it with a quick jump to the left, but it was clear that the previous attack had really left a mark.

"Flamethrower!"

Dacino quickly launched a counter-attack, a blast of flames burning through the air and slamming into the advancing steelix. She reared up, roaring in pain as the fire licked its way around her body. However, it wasn't enough to stop her. Another swift blow was too much for Dacino to dodge. He was thrown back again, landing with a thud amid the shattered boulders.

"The challenger's cyndaquil is unable to battle!" the referee announced. "The gym leader's steelix is the winner!"

Livvi gritted her teeth as she recalled Dacino to his poké ball. She'd been wrong about it being an electric-type gym. She wasn't entirely sure what kind of types a steelix would be, but the name suggested steel-type at least. That gave her a type in common with Jasmine's magnemite as well. Since it used rock-type attacks, perhaps it was part rock as well – it evolved from onix after all. In that case, her best bet was…

"Litine, go!"

The azumarill burst back out of her ball and landed softly on the arena floor, looking over at her new opponent. The steelix, still wincing from the burns, glared back.

"Use Hydro Pump!" Livvi wasn't going to waste any time. They needed to strike hard and fast to make sure that the steelix couldn't bring its massive power to bear on them.

Litine duly opened fire, sending a vast blast of water flying at the steelix. She rotated sideways, making Litine's attack miss by inches, and then suddenly surged forwards. The metal on her tail seemed to stiffen considerably. As she drew closer to the azumarill, she started swinging her tail around towards her.

Fortunately, Litine was quick to respond and dived clear before the steelix could hit her. She fired another blast of water at her opponent, this time scoring a direct hit. The steelix was forced back by the power of the impact, grimacing in the face of the blast. Despite the power, it wasn't enough to defeat the huge pokémon – she was still very much in the fight and she didn't look happy.

An exchange of attacks began, with Litine dodging and firing as many blasts of water as she could, while the steelix resolutely hounded her with sharp attacks of her own.

"Hydro Pump!"

"Iron Tail!"

Both trainers continued shouting orders to their pokémon as the slugging match continued. Litine and the steelix were starting to get tired. The savage fighting had left them with numerous injuries. Litine panted heavily, cradling a wounded arm as she continued facing down her opponent. She was running out of energy – her next few attacks really needed to count.

The steelix, fortunately, looked exhausted as well. She drew back and prepared to swing her tail again, though it was clearly taking a lot of effort to get it to move.

This was their chance and both Litine and Livvi knew it. Sharing a nod, Litine made a quick lunge forwards as Livvi issued the order that she was already expecting.

"Hydro Pump!"

Litine rooted herself in front of the steelix as she desperately attempted to swing her tail. A final, powerful blast of water erupted from her mouth. The steelix took the hit directly to the centre section and her long body started folding as it was blasted back. There was a colossal crash as the iron snake hit the ground.

"The gym leader's steelix is unable to battle! The challenger's azumarill is the winner!" the referee announced.

"You really are pretty tough," Jasmine said as she recalled her steelix. "My steelix is no pushover."

Livvi laughed wearily. "You don't need to tell us that!"

"Alright, I'm down to just my last pokémon now!" Jasmine called as she pulled out her final poké ball. "Don't think that you've beaten me yet!"

A bird coated in steel emerged from the thrown poké ball, letting out a loud screech. Despite her odd appearance, she took off quickly and started flying at Litine.

"A flying type?" Livvi murmured as Litine dodged the attack. "But it looks like a steel type as well. What would be effective?"

What, indeed. Her instinct had been to use Rollout, but rock-type attacks were weaker against steel types. Could she rely on the fact that it gained power the longer Litine kept rolling? Possibly, but there wasn't much that she would be able to do before she ran out of energy completely.

A switch, then? After all, she still had one pokémon left at full strength and there was little point in expending Litine just for the sake of softening up the steel bird. She scarcely had the energy left to muster a single, powerful Hydro Pump.

"Litine, return!" As Livvi held up Litine's poké ball and recalled her, she fished around in her pocket to bring out her Pokédex.

" _Skarmory, the armour bird pokémon. A pokémon that has a body and wings of steel. Humans in the past used feathers fallen from skarmory to make swords and knives. Their sturdy wings look heavy, but their bones are hollow and light, allowing them to fly freely in the sky_."

"That settles it," Livvi mumbled as she put Litine's ball away and pulled out her final one. "Go, Evoro!"

The jolteon called out eagerly as he materialised on the battlefield, looking across at his opponent as she circled above. He seemed relaxed – there appeared to be little to fear from this bird. After all, he was an electric type.

"Stay alert, Evoro!" Livvi chastised his relaxed attitude. This was a gym battle after all. "Use Thunderbolt!"

With a shout, Evoro shot a blast of electricity into the air. It arced towards the skarmory, but she suddenly vanished from sight. A split second later, she appeared close to the ground, firing herself straight at Evoro.

"Steel Wing!" Jasmine yelled.

The skarmory smashed into Evoro, sending him flying backwards. He managed to land on his feet and regained his balance. Though the attack hadn't done that much damage, it had certainly spooked him.

"Use Double Kick!" Livvi called as she spotted the skarmory flying in close again.

Evoro spun around at the land minute and delivered two powerful kicks in quick succession. The skarmory was knocked back but seemed to recover pretty quickly.

"Use Air Cutter!" Jasmine ordered.

The attacks continued, with the skarmory keeping the battle firmly in Evoro's half of the battlefield. It was surprising just how evasive and skilled she actually was. Despite being in such close proximity to Evoro, she was still managing to avoid the close-range Thunderbolts.

Her attacks weren't doing much damage to Evoro individually, but they were starting to stack up. The jolteon was limping from a bad hit on his front right leg and was otherwise covered in cuts and bruises. Still, he was scanning the battlefield constantly, looking for an opportunity to turn things around again.

As another Thunderbolt flew off target, Livvi thought desperately about how to turn things around. It should have been an easy battle for them to win, it was just the evasiveness of that skarmory. How could they defeat her speed? It seemed to Livvi that the only chance was to temporarily stun her to provide an opening for an overwhelming attack.

An idea started to form as Evoro was struck several scythes of air sent flying by the skarmory. If the enemy's great strength was their evasiveness, then they just had to reduce their ability to see where attacks were coming from.

"Use Double Team!"

Hearing Livvi's words, Evoro tensed himself. A crowd of doubles appeared around him, all darting and dodging across each other until it was impossible to tell where the original was. As the skarmory attempted to slash at all of them with blades of air again, they suddenly all sprang forwards at a blinding pace.

The skarmory swung her wings and knocked out several of the doubles, but the real Evoro knocked into her from below. He grinned in triumphant as he released a powerful blast of electricity.

There was a loud screech as the electricity coursed through the skarmory's body before hurling her backwards. She crashed to the ground with a hollow thud and lay still.

"The gym leader's skarmory is unable to battle! The challenger's jolteon is the winner!" the referee announced. "All three of the gym leader's pokémon are unable to battle, so the winner of this match is the challenger, Olivia Weston from Viridian City!"

"We did it!" Livvi wiped her forehead in relief and smiled at Evoro as he limped back over to her. It was going to take a couple of days of rest before he was at full strength again.

"Wow! Well done!" Jasmine called over to her as she recalled her skarmory. "You spotted a perfect opportunity to strike back and cut through my defences. And your jolteon knew exactly how to handle your plan! That was some great battling."

"That really means a lot," Livvi replied with a smile. She reached down and patted Evoro on the head.

"Since you beat me, here's the Olivine gym's badge – the Mineral Badge." Jasmine offered her a small, steel-coloured badge. "I hope you'll remember this battle every time you look at it!"

"I will!" Livvi nodded eagerly, shaking Jasmine's hand. Now that she'd earned her fifth Johto gym badge, however, it was time to return her attention to more pressing matters…

* * *

 _1:43pm, 9_ _th_ _May 2006_

Alicia was just emerging from a chaotic half-sleep when she heard the sound of the door opening. It sounded much more distant than it actually was. She pulled herself up to look at the door as Livvi came through.

"How did it go?" she asked croakily.

"You don't need to get up," Livvi told her quickly as she came over to her, the door clicking shut behind her. "We did it – we beat the gym leader and won another gym badge."

"That's a relief," Alicia sighed, laying her head back on the pillow. "Now I just need to get better and then I can have my turn, huh?"

"Exactly." Livvi nodded. She reached into her bag and pulled out some tablets. "I brought some painkillers for you. Have been drinking lots of water?"

"Tavro's been keeping an eye on me," Alicia replied. "He got me a glass whenever I asked."

"Thanks, Tavro," Livvi said, smiling gratefully at the hypno. He simply shrugged in response – it wasn't a big deal and he was happy to help.

"Did you book new a different slot at the gym?" Alicia asked.

"All I did was cancel the one from today," Livvi replied. "I didn't have your trainer card, so…"

"I completely forgot!" Alicia groaned. "Sorry, I should have remembered to give it to you." She let out a cough.

"No, don't worry about it," Livvi said. She paused and glanced at the window. Even with the curtains drawn, it was still bright in the room thanks to the bright sunshine outside. "Y'know," she began. "I was poking about in the shopping district before I came back here. Some people were telling me that there's this famous pharmacy in Cianwood City and recommended it to me when I told them that I was looking for medicine for you."

"Oh, I think I've heard about that too." Alicia paused to cough before continuing. "But isn't Cianwood City a long way from here?"

"It's a couple of hours by ferry," Livvi replied. She gave Alicia a troubled look. "Do you think you're up to a move today? If you want, I could go across the Cianwood City by myself and come back…"

"It's fine," said Alicia. "They'll probably have somewhere that I can rest on the way. We can get a bus down to the port, right?

"Yeah." Livvi nodded. "If you're okay with it, then I'll head down to the ferry terminal to buy tickets and then come back and get you."

"Sure."

"Make sure you take something to help your cold while I'm gone," Livvi said as she stepped back and started walking towards the door. "I'll be back in no time!"

* * *

 **One down, one to pick up again later, I guess. We're moving on to Cianwood City next, where Livvi and Alicia will no doubt face their next gym battles. In the meantime, Alicia will need to focus on getting better.**

 **I don't really have much more to say about this chapter aside from expressing relief that I managed to get it done on time. There won't be any uploads next week since I'm away on holiday –** _ **Pokémon Journey: Hoenn**_ **will resume in April once I'm back.**

 **As ever, I appreciate any feedback you have on this chapter and don't forget to leave a like on the Facebook page.**

 **Until next time!**

* * *

 **Team Listings:**

 **Livvi Weston:**

 **Active:**

 **Barru** (Ivysaur): male, timid, highly persistent, likes sweet food, grass-poison type, Overgrow ability, knows Double-Edge, Sludge Bomb, Solar Beam and Leech Seed.

 **Evoro** (Jolteon): male, jolly, alert to sounds, likes sweet food, electric type, Volt Absorb ability, knows Thunderbolt, Double Team, Double Kick and Quick Attack.

 **Tavro** (Hypno): male, quirky, loves to eat, eats anything, psychic type, Forewarn ability, knows Psychic, Hypnosis, Future Sight and Headbutt.

 **Litine** (Azumarill): female, mild, good endurance, likes dry food, water type, Thick Fat ability, knows Double-Edge, Rain Dance, Hydro Pump and Rollout.

 **Dacino** (Cyndaquil): male, adamant, loves to eat, likes spicy food, fire type, Blaze ability, knows Flamethrower, Swift, Flame Wheel and Smokescreen.

 **Ferru** (Teddiursa): male, hardy, loves to eat, eats anything, normal type, Pickup ability, knows Feint Attack, Fury Swipes, Thrash and Fake Tears.

 **In Viridian City:**

 **Dorru** (Nidorina): female, quiet, mischievous, likes dry food, poison type, Rivalry ability, knows Fury Swipes, Double Kick, Poison Sting and Crunch.

 **Salea** (Blissey): female, gentle, somewhat vain, likes bitter food, normal type, Natural Cure ability, knows Softboiled, Psychic, Double-Edge and Egg Bomb.

 **Cylune** (Venomoth): male, modest, proud of its power, likes dry food, poison-bug type, Shield Dust ability, knows Stun Spore, Psychic, Toxic and Silver Wind.

 **Alicia Law:**

 **Active:**

 **Ruo** (Bayleef): male, naughty, often dozes off, likes spicy food, grass type, Overgrow ability, knows Body Slam, Synthesis, Razor Leaf and Safeguard.

 **Pari** (Dunsparce): male, quirky, likes to thrash about, eats anything, normal type, Serene Grace ability, knows Rollout, Screech, Yawn and Dig.

 **Saffa** (Magikarp): female, rash, often lost in thought, likes dry food, water type, Swift Swim ability, knows Splash.

 **Balva** (Slugma): male, hasty, a little quick tempered, likes sweet food, fire type, Flame Body ability, knows Harden, Rock Slide, Flamethrower and Body Slam.


	16. Weathering the Storm! (Part 1)

**Hello and welcome to another chapter of** _ **Pokémon Journey: Livvi's Johto Scrapbook**_ **!**

 **Last chapter, Alicia fell ill after staying out to train for too long in the rain. Livvi was victorious in her battle with Jasmine of the Olivine gym, but with Alicia still unwell she decided that they should get a ferry across to Cianwood City, home to a well-renowned pharmacy.**

 **Upload Date: 27** **th** **April 2018**

* * *

 **Chapter 16: Weathering the Storm! (Part 1)**

 _Route 41, Johto_

 _5:06pm, 9_ _th_ _May 2006_

The sound of the ship's whistle pierced the air as it continued making its way across the channel. As the sound died down, it was replaced by the splash of the waves hitting the side of the ship and moving aside as the ferry cut through the sea.

Though the weather had remained pleasant and the sky clear as the evening approached, it was hard to appreciate it on the open water. A viciously cold wind blew through the channel towards Olivine City, making the sea choppy and standing on deck unpleasant. Though the ship wasn't rocking too much, it was enough to be noticeable. And, despite the fact that both sides of the strait were visible, it felt as though it had taken a very long time to actually make any progress. Cianwood City, on the far side of the channel, had felt very distant throughout the voyage.

Still, they were finally starting to draw close to the city, close enough to make out the various buildings on the shoreline and even the tiny figures of people moving around on the seafront. It would still be a little while before they were docked and ready to disembark, but at least they were almost there now.

Livvi pushed herself back from the railings on one side of the ferry's deck, shivering as the cold wind bit into her. She'd only been up on deck for about five minutes, yet she'd already had more than enough of it. She scurried back to the door that led below decks, rubbing her arms to warm them up.

"I guess I should head back to Alicia," she murmured, wandering down the stairs to the main level. Taking a left turn, she followed the austere corridor until she reached a door marked 'Nurse's Office'. She knocked on the door and, upon hearing an affirmative response, pushed it open.

"Welcome back," Alicia said quietly. She was laying on a bed to one side of the room. Beyond her, there was a porthole that looked out to the south, away from Olivine City.

"Sorry I was so long," Livvi replied.

"I imagine that we're getting close to arriving now," the nurse, sat by a desk at the back of the room, said as Livvi closed the door behind her.

"Quite close." Livvi nodded. "Is it far to the pokémon centre from the port?"

"The nearest one is pretty much right outside the port," the nurse replied. "It won't take you five minutes to get there from where we land."

"That's a relief," Livvi sighed, glancing over at Alicia.

"I probably would have been fine anyway," Alicia said, smiling at her. She paused to cough. "It's not like I'm seriously ill…"

"I'd prefer not to take any risks," said Livvi. She turned back to the nurse. "And whereabouts is this pharmacy?"

"Ah, the famous Cianwood Pharmacy?" the nurse asked. "I can tell you where it is, but I doubt that they'll be open by the time we land."

"Really?" Livvi was disappointed to hear that. Still, Alicia would be fine overnight, and she could go out to get medicine first thing tomorrow morning instead.

"I can show you where you need to go, though," the nurse said. "Let me have your map for a second…"

* * *

 _Cianwood City, Johto_

 _8:58am, 10_ _th_ _May 2006_

Cianwood City was a largely unremarkable place, though there was something nice about the simplicity of it. It was still a large city, but it felt much more relaxed and peaceful compared to somewhere like Goldenrod City or Olivine City. Green mountains covered in trees stood behind the buildings. It really did feel as though the city was on the very outskirts of Johto. Even knowing the existence of the regions that lay further west, there was a sense of being at the edge of the world in a way that Livvi hadn't experienced before.

Her destination was the Cianwood Pharmacy. If what she'd heard was to be believed, then the medicine they produced was among the best in region. Though she baulked at the idea of what it might cost, it would be worth it if it meant Alicia got better quicker. She'd seemed a little worse after arriving at the pokémon centre the previous evening.

The pharmacy was located in Cianwood's old town, which was quite a distance from the pokémon centre by the port. It was an old building, distinctive even among the other old-fashioned buildings in the town. It was impossible to mistake it for anything else. According to what she'd read, it had been around for over five hundred years, producing and selling medicine all that time. She probably would have wanted to visit it even if there hadn't been another pressing need.

Livvi loitered in the street as she waited for the sliding door at the front of the pharmacy to open. They seemed to be very precise about when they opened – there was no movement until the instant the clock ticked over to nine o'clock.

"Come on in, young lady!" the pharmacist called to Livvi as he opened the door. He was clearly used to having customers waiting for the moment the shop opened.

"Thank you." Livvi strode forwards and followed him into the shop. The old wood used to make the building combined with the herbs used for the medicine gave the inside a nice scent. Different herbs and medicine were arranged around the main room. The small windows and the position of the sun left the room in a pleasant shade – it made it feel sheltered and cosy.

"How can I help you this morning?" the pharmacist asked as he returned to his counter.

"Ah! I'm looking for medicine for my friend. She fell ill a couple of days ago…" Livvi quickly explained Alicia's symptoms.

"It sounds like a cold, but perhaps a stronger one than normal," the pharmacist said once Livvi was finished. He turned around and started rummaging through the bottles on the shelf behind the counter. He finally produced a small jar. Tipping out four white tablets, he put the jar back on the shelf. He took a small paper bag and tipped the tablets into it before placing it on the counter. "This is a strong remedy. Make sure she takes no more than one tablet every four hours. She should start feeling better by tomorrow morning."

"Thank you," said Livvi, wincing at the price as she paid for the medicine. Waving goodbye to the pharmacist, she stepped back out into the morning sun and walked back through the city to the pokémon centre. Now that she had the medicine, she felt much more at ease and walked with a spring in her step.

Her thoughts started to turn towards what they should do next. She'd brought Alicia out here just because of the pharmacy. If she was going to get better quickly, then Livvi needed to start thinking about what they'd do next. Alicia would probably want to head back to Olivine so that she could take on the gym. Livvi could understand that, but she also felt like it would be a shame not to explore Cianwood City now that they were here. There didn't seem to be much reason to come back out later after all.

Arriving back at the pokémon centre, she briefly paused to greet the receptionist on her way past. Climbing the stairs beyond the lobby, she made her way to the door to her room and quietly opened the door.

Alicia looked over at her as she walked into the room. She'd still been asleep when Livvi had left to go to the pharmacy. She looked a little better than the previous evening. That was a relief.

"How did it go?" Alicia asked in a raspy voice. She coughed a couple of times.

"Right here!" Livvi pulled out the paper bag containing the medicine she'd bought at the pharmacy. "You should have seen that place – it was so old that I could practically feel the history in the walls!"

"Aww, I wish I could have gone," Alicia whispered. She coughed again as Livvi handed her the bag. "How many do I take?"

Livvi quickly repeated the instructions that the pharmacist had given her. "He said that you should start feeling better by tomorrow morning."

"That sounds good," Alicia said, nodding. She carefully opened the bag and pulled out one of the tablets.

"We need to decide what we're doing next," Livvi said as Alicia swallowed it.

"What kind of things are out here in Cianwood City?" Alicia asked.

"I didn't really look much up before we got here," Livvi said, sighing. "I was too focused on the pharmacy."

"Well, I can't really go anywhere, and I want to try and get some sleep," said Alicia. "I'll be fine, so you've got today to yourself. You could explore the city and see what sort of things you can find."

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Livvi asked.

"Sure." Alicia nodded. She laid back down in bed. "Find somewhere awesome for us to go tomorrow when I'm better."

Livvi let out a sigh and smiled at her. "Well, I guess I'll head off then. I'll come back around lunchtime to check on how you're doing."

"See you later then," Alicia called quietly as Livvi left the room.

* * *

 _9:17am, 11_ _th_ _May 2006_

It had come as somewhat of a surprise to Livvi when, while she was exploring Cianwood City, she happened upon a pokémon gym. The city's isolation from the rest of Johto made her think that the Pokémon Association wouldn't have bothered constructing a gym out here. Cianwood may have had the pharmacy, but it was otherwise very much on the fringes of the region.

It was still a gym though, and that meant another opportunity to earn a new gym badge. Livvi was still riding high on her victory over Jasmine in Olivine and thought that it would be a great way to spend time while Alicia recovered, so she'd decided to stop in and book herself a slot for the following morning. That gave her plenty of time to do some training with her team before she fought the battle.

The gym was housed in a traditional building that looked a lot like a dojo. The lobby had been quite bare as well – no unnecessary decorations at all. That had made Livvi think that the gym leader was clearly someone who took battling very seriously.

She'd cut short her exploration after that so that she could train and headed back to the pokémon centre. Alicia had already been feeling better when she got there, and it was all she could do to keep the sick girl from coming out to help her train. She'd been enthusiastic about the idea of challenging the gym here in Cianwood as well, probably since she'd been denied the opportunity back when they were in Olivine.

After coaxing Alicia back to bed, Livvi had gone out with her team to train for the battle. It had been a fairly routine session, though Livvi was still pleased with the progress that everyone was making. Barru had been struggling to adapt to his new form until recently and he was starting to tap into the additional strength his evolution had given him. Litine and Evoro had both been improving as well, as had Dacino, but it was Ferru and Tavro who had excited Livvi the most.

Tavro had been getting better at syncing his attacks with what Livvi wanted and, in turn, Livvi felt as though she was getting a far better grasp of the kind of strategies Tavro liked her to use. He'd always felt powerful, but then that was to be expected from a pokémon that was once trained by a gym leader. Perhaps it was more that Livvi felt as though she could see her own progression. She'd come a long way since first arriving in Johto.

Ferru had excited her for a much simpler reason – a new attack in the form of Slash. It wasn't a complicated attack, but Ferru had shown himself capable of delivering powerful blows with it. Livvi shuddered at the thought of being on the receiving end of it. Unfortunately, the teddiursa had taken the view that he was deserving of a reward and, together with Dacino, had gone on to eat half of their remaining stock of pokémon food. The resulting necessity of a shopping trip had torpedoed the chance of further training in the evening.

Still, Livvi returned to the Cianwood gym the following morning in high spirits. Alicia had been much better the previous evening and Livvi had left her sleeping peacefully. Her team was confident in their skills and so was she. No matter what the gym leader threw at them, she was feeling optimistic about her chances as she started walking down the passage to the main arena.

* * *

 _9:20am, 11_ _th_ _May 2006_

Livvi found herself stood in an arena that was every bit as traditional as the lobby. The wooden beams and paper screens gave the room an oddly peaceful atmosphere, even if the arena itself looked much like the others Livvi had seen around Johto. She couldn't help but feel like she needed to be on her best behaviour here.

Standing opposite her was the gym leader, a large muscular man who watched her with a surprisingly calculating expression – he was already sizing her up. This might turn out to be a tough battle.

"Welcome to my gym," the man called, his voice loud and authoritative. "I'm Chuck, the leader of the Cianwood gym!"

"I'm Livvi Weston from Viridian City!" Livvi called back. "I look forward to fighting you!"

"Good!" Chuck nodded approvingly. He glanced over at the referee.

"This is an official Johto League gym battle between the Cianwood gym leader, Chuck, and the challenger, Olivia Weston from Viridian City!" the referee announced. "This battle will be fought using a two-on-two single format and will be over when one side has no more pokémon that can battle! In addition, only the challenger may substitute pokémon during this match. Are you both ready?"

Both Chuck and Livvi nodded as they grabbed their first poké balls.

"Begin!"

"Go, Primeape!"

"Go, Evoro!"

Both Chuck and Livvi threw their poké balls at the exact same time. Both Evoro and Chuck's primeape materialised on the field and tensed up as they waited for their first orders.

"Thunderbolt!" Livvi called immediately. "A primeape, huh?" she mumbled to herself as Evoro started firing electricity at Primeape. She pulled out her Pokédex.

" _Primeape, the pig monkey pokémon and the evolved form of mankey. When primeape become furious, their blood circulation is boosted. In turn, their muscles are made even stronger. However, they also become much less intelligent at the same time. If they give chase, they will tenaciously track the target no matter how far._ "

Recovering from Evoro's attacks, Primeape jumped forwards and started running at him. He leered menacingly at his opponent as he did.

"Use Thunderbolt!" Livvi called again.

"Double Team!" Chuck shouted.

As Evoro fired another bolt of electricity, a crowd of primeape suddenly appeared around the original one. The electricity struck one of them, but it simply faded away.

"Rock Slide!" Chuck called.

The primeape all punched the floor, but only one of them sent a cluster of boulders into the air. With a solid punch from one of Primeape's large fists, the debris tumbled towards Evoro, who quickly scrambled to try and dodge it. As he darted forwards, however, he found a second cluster of boulders tumbling down towards him.

"Finish this up with Focus Punch!" Chuck shouted.

"Get back and…" Livvi suddenly changed her mind. "Actually, no – go on the attack! Double Kick!"

Hauling himself to his feet again, Evoro limped forwards as quickly as he could. He reached Primeape just as he was able to throw his powerful punch. At the last second, he spun and kicked out his legs, managing to knock Primeape's shoulder with the first one. As the fighting type lost his focus and his punch flew off course, Evoro's second kick hit him more heavily in the side.

"Use Thunderbolt!" Livvi immediately shouted. She watched in concern as Evoro fired a blast of electricity at Primeape. Though they seemed to be doing some damage, she could tell how tough Primeape was just by looking at him. They needed to keep him from using his most powerful attacks as much as possible.

"Use Double Team!" Chuck called.

As Primeape summoned another crowd of doubles, Evoro started shooting blasts of electricity at them. He immediately knocked out two of the doubles.

"Now use Focus Punch!" Chuck shouted.

"Watch out, Evoro!" Livvi called urgently, looking around at the glowing fists of all the doubles. Which one was the real one? With so many fists all ready to be thrown, it was hard to tell where they should aim their attacks.

Evoro fired another blast of electricity, but the target vanished on contact. There were still at least eight doubles around him, all of which had finished charging their attacks. As they all charged towards him with their fists raised, Evoro took a deep breath and, trusting his instinct, sprang forwards towards one of the approaching doubles, whirling around to extend two powerful kicks.

It was the wrong one.

As the double faded, the real Primeape hurled his fist into Evoro's side. The jolteon was thrown back immediately, crashing heavily to the ground.

"The challenger's jolteon is unable to battle!" the referee announced. "The gym leader's primeape is the winner!"

"Such power!" Livvi gasped as she recalled Evoro to his poké ball. "It was a great effort, Evoro. Thank you." If the gym leader was using fighting types, then her next choice was obvious. She pulled out Tavro's poké ball and hurled it into the air.

As he materialised on the ground, Tavro took a moment to familiarise himself with his surroundings. Aside from the scattered and splintered boulders left behind by Primeape's previous attacks, the arena was clear and flat. That meant it would be easier for the opponent to approach him, but also that there was less that could distract him and break his concentration.

"Use Rock Slide!" Chuck called.

"Psychic!" Livvi yelled.

Hypno's eyes lit up as the boulders flew towards him. They all halted in mid-air for a couple of seconds before being hurled back. Primeape dodged the counter attack, but Tavro and Livvi had already spotted their next opportunity.

"Use Psychic!" Livvi shouted.

With an approving nod, Tavro fixed Primeape with an intense stare as he grabbed him with his psychic power. As he was lifted into the air, there was little he could do besides leering at Tavro – his attacks were physical and wouldn't help him break Tavro's concentration.

There was a crash as Primeape was hurled to the ground, knocking him out instantly.

"The gym leader's primeape is unable to battle!" the referee called. "The challenger's hypno is the winner!"

"Yes!" Livvi exclaimed, buoyed by the victory. "Great work, Tavro!"

"Hmph! No surprise from a psychic type," said Chuck as he recalled Primeape. "Your hypno is well-trained. I look forward to seeing what he's capable of in the next round." He pulled out another poké ball and nodded at the referee.

"Ah!" the referee replied knowingly. "Hold on tight, Miss Weston!"

"What?" Just as Livvi looked over at him, a railing suddenly emerged from the ground around her position. There was a sudden rumbling sound and the rest of the arena started descending. The humans remained in place, but the arena slowly dropped to about three metres below its original level. Below the floor line, there were a series of large grates along the walls.

"Shall we begin?" Chuck grinned, throwing out his second and final poké ball. "Go, Poliwrath!"

"He has a poliwrath?" Livvi pulled out her Pokédex again as Poliwrath materialised on the battlefield.

" _Poliwrath, the tadpole pokémon and the evolved form of poliwhirl. A poliwrath's highly developed, brawny muscles never grow fatigued, however much it exercises. An adept swimmer, it knows the front crawl, butterfly, and more. It is faster than the best human swimmers._ "

"Let's go, Poliwrath!" Chuck called. "Use Surf!"

There was a sudden roar as a surge of water burst up from around Poliwrath and raced across the arena towards Tavro.

"Whoa!" Livvi exclaimed in shock as the wave smashed into Tavro and smashed him back against the base of the pillar she now stood on top of. She could understand why the arena had been lowered now. Some spray from the rushing water splashed up and landed on her face as it moved past.

"Use Focus Punch!" Chuck shouted.

Hidden from view by the wild, churning water, Poliwrath tightened his focus. With a spray of water, he suddenly burst forwards, slamming into Tavro and smashing him back against the base of the pillar with such force that Livvi felt it shake beneath her.

"T-Tavro?" she cried in alarm, trying to peer over the edge as Poliwrath jumped back to his side of the arena.

The water was rapidly falling now as it drained away. At the base of the pillar, Tavro was hunched over and wincing in pain. Despite that, he pulled himself up again. It would take more than that to beat him down.

"Use Surf again!" Chuck called.

"Future Sight!" Livvi shouted.

As the water started to rush forwards again, Tavro's eyes glowed a blue colour for a brief second. Once again, he was thrown back against the pillar by the force of the water.

"Body Slam!" Chuck shouted.

Amid the rushing water, Poliwrath fired himself forwards, preparing to slam into Tavro with all his might.

"Psychic!"

As Poliwrath approached, Tavro's eyes suddenly lit up. In an instant, the water parted violently to the sides and Poliwrath, no longer able to swim, abruptly crashed to the ground.

"Use Psychic again!" Livvi ordered.

"Use Surf!" Chuck yelled.

As Tavro lifted Poliwrath up with his psychic power, there was a second rush of water to fill the gap. Too focused on Poliwrath, all Tavro could do was hastily hurl him down before bracing for the water's impact. Now that Tavro was occupied again, Poliwrath stormed forwards and smashed into him.

"Stay strong, Tavro!" Livvi called as the water receded. She bit her lip as she thought about her options. Poliwrath was using the water both as cover and as a way of buffeting Tavro prior to an attack. They needed a way to cut through the water and strike him directly before he had a chance to pull off his more powerful attacks.

Livvi had thought that their previous tactic of clearing the water and grabbing Poliwrath with Psychic had been sufficient, but they hadn't been able to stop his attack from eventually connecting. There had to be another option.

"Use Surf!" Chuck yelled.

As Poliwrath started summoning another powerful wave of water, Livvi suddenly had a realisation. "Ah! Tavro, use Psychic to part the water!"

"Again?" Chuck scoffed. "Same as before, Poliwrath!"

As Tavro parted the approaching water around him, Poliwrath tensed himself for the incoming psychic attack.

"Use Headbutt!" Livvi called down to Tavro. He looked up at her in alarm and Livvi started to worry that he'd refuse to do it. "Trust me!" she shouted desperately.

Tavro held her gaze for half-a-second before slowly nodding. Turning back to face Poliwrath, he sprang forwards, lowering his head as he did. Taking his opponent by surprise, he slammed hard into him and knocked him backwards.

"Psychic!" Livvi yelled.

A look of realisation on his face, Tavro's eyes lit up with a blue glow. He grabbed Poliwrath with his psychic power and hurled him back towards Chuck. As he flew through the air, a burst of psychic energy suddenly appeared overhead and dropped down to perfectly intercept him as he passed below.

There was an explosion of energy and Poliwrath crashed to the ground.

"Th-The gym leader's poliwrath is unable to battle!" the referee announced. "The challenger's hypno is victorious! Both of the gym leader's pokémon are unable to battle, so the winner of this match is the challenger, Olivia Weston from Viridian City!"

"Phew!" Livvi sighed, letting out the breath she'd been holding as the arena floor started rising again. She smiled at Tavro as he wearily walked back over to her. As soon as the railing surrounding her had retracted back into the ground, she walked over to him and bumped her fist against his. "You did great."

"An excellent battle, both of you," Chuck said gruffly as he recalled Poliwrath. "I could tell that you two trust in each other's abilities. You worked as one and were able to overcome our ferocious attacks. It isn't normal for challengers to walk away from here with a win in the first battle."

"Th-Thank you!" Livvi replied, the serious atmosphere making her instinctively bow politely.

"Here!" Chuck tossed her a small badge shaped like a fist. "The Storm Badge – recognition that you were able to survive my fierce attacks."

"Thank you," Livvi said as she caught it. She smiled as she showed it to Tavro. "We really did it."

Tavro looked at it for a couple of seconds before mumbling happily. After a hard-fought battle, it felt surprising that all the effort had been expended for such a small thing. But then, as both he and Livvi knew, it represented so much more than that.

* * *

 _10:35am, 11_ _th_ _May 2006_

Livvi was in such a good mood after the battle at the Cianwood gym that she decided to stop off on her way back to the pokémon centre so that she could buy something nice to treat both herself and her pokémon. Even if the whole team hadn't fought in the battle, everyone had still contributed to the training. It really was a joint effort.

It wasn't much – some higher-quality pokémon treats for the pokémon and some cake for herself. She'd decided to get an extra slice in case Alicia was feeling better. After that, she'd strolled happily back through the city to get to the pokémon centre. The sun had been shining and it had been pleasantly warm. Livvi's mood couldn't have been any higher.

After arriving back at the pokémon centre, she'd dropped off Evoro and Tavro at the front desk before heading upstairs. She walked quickly along the corridor until she reached the door to her room. Opening it, she gently started pushing it open.

"You're back?" Alicia was sat up in bed and greeted her cheerfully as she walked though the door. "How did it go?"

"Look at this!" Livvi put down the cake boxes and fished out her badge case. She pulled out her new Storm Badge and held it out.

"You won? That's great!" Alicia grinned. "I kinda wish I could have seen it…"

"On that subject, how are you feeling?" Livvi asked. "That medicine I bought from the pharmacy had better have worked!"

"I feel much better," said Alicia. "No fever at all – I just feel a little tired and that's it."

"That's a relief," Livvi sighed, sitting down on the end of her bed. "I was really worried about you for a while."

"…Sorry for being a bother," Alicia said, smiling guiltily. "But thanks for all your help over the last couple of days. It meant a lot to me."

"Don't worry about it. We're friends, aren't we?" Livvi smiled.

"Yeah." Alicia nodded. She glanced over at the window. "Anyway, I think I'm ready to return to training. Since we're here, I think I should challenge the Cianwood gym as well."

"Sounds like a plan," said Livvi. "But watch out – the gym leader here is no pushover."

"I'll keep it in mind!" said Alicia, nodding eagerly. "Do you know if there are any slots left there today?"

"I don't think that you should attempt it today," said Livvi. "You might be much better, but you're not perfect. I'd book a slot for tomorrow and limit yourself to training today."

"…If you say so," Alicia sighed. She leant back against the headboard on her bunk and smiled at Livvi.

"Anyway, I was in a good mood after my gym battle," said Livvi. "So, I decided to get this on my way back here."

"Cake?" Alicia's eyes lit up as Livvi offered her one of the boxes. "I-Is it really okay for me to have this?"

"Sure!" Livvi nodded. "We should celebrate you getting better before we head out to do some training."

"Then thank you!" Alicia said, happily digging into the cake.

* * *

 _9:57am, 12_ _th_ _May 2006_

After an afternoon packed full of more than enough training to make up for the days Alicia had been incapacitated, she had gone with Livvi to the Cianwood gym to book a gym battle slot for the following morning. Despite the intense training, Alicia had still gone to bed feeling nervous. She'd still been away from pokémon training for what felt like a long time and it had been even longer than that since her last gym battle.

She tried to cover these feelings up as much as possible as she and Livvi walked back into the lobby of the gym the following morning. She'd confirmed her registration and now all that was left to do was head on in to face the gym leader.

"We did plenty of training yesterday, so I'm sure you'll be fine!" Livvi said confidently, patting her on the shoulder as they stood in front of the passage leading through to the arena.

"Y-Yeah, I guess so." Alicia nodded.

"Don't worry – I'll be up in the stands to cheer you on," said Livvi. "I know that you can do it!"

"Thanks," Alicia said, smiling at her. "You should probably head on up to the stands if you don't want to miss the start of the battle!"

"I'll get going then!" Livvi grinned at her. "Good luck, Alicia!"

Alicia waved to her as she left to take the staircase up to the stands before turning and starting to walk down the passage. The arena lay ahead of her, and there was no turning back now.

* * *

 **If I'd uploaded this one day earlier, then it would have been up on the anniversary of my last April** _ **Johto Scrapbook**_ **chapter.**

 **Anyway, another gym badge for Livvi, putting her on six now. Next time, it'll be Alicia's turn to take on Chuck now that she's fully recovered. I hope that the gym battle this chapter was entertaining. Given how powerful Tavro is, I had to really think about ways to make the battle seem more tense and difficult.**

 **I really enjoyed writing about Cianwood City. It's always felt like an isolated outpost at the far corner of Johto to me, but I also felt like that didn't have to mean that it was a tiny and neglected place. I'm happy that we get to spend another chapter there, though I suppose there won't be as much room for worldbuilding next chapter.**

 **Just to remind everyone, there won't be any uploads next week since I'm taking my tenth-chapter week off after putting out Chapter 60 of** _ **Pokémon Journey: Hoenn**_ **. Uploads will resume the week after that.**

 **As ever, I appreciate any feedback you have on this chapter and don't forget to leave a like on the Facebook page.**

 **Until next time!**

* * *

 **Team Listings:**

 **Livvi Weston:**

 **Active:**

 **Barru** (Ivysaur): male, timid, highly persistent, likes sweet food, grass-poison type, Overgrow ability, knows Double-Edge, Sludge Bomb, Solar Beam and Leech Seed.

 **Evoro** (Jolteon): male, jolly, alert to sounds, likes sweet food, electric type, Volt Absorb ability, knows Thunderbolt, Double Team, Double Kick and Quick Attack.

 **Tavro** (Hypno): male, quirky, loves to eat, eats anything, psychic type, Forewarn ability, knows Psychic, Hypnosis, Future Sight and Headbutt.

 **Litine** (Azumarill): female, mild, good endurance, likes dry food, water type, Thick Fat ability, knows Double-Edge, Rain Dance, Hydro Pump and Rollout.

 **Dacino** (Cyndaquil): male, adamant, loves to eat, likes spicy food, fire type, Blaze ability, knows Flamethrower, Swift, Flame Wheel and Smokescreen.

 **Ferru** (Teddiursa): male, hardy, loves to eat, eats anything, normal type, Pickup ability, knows Feint Attack, Slash, Thrash and Fake Tears.

 **In Viridian City:**

 **Dorru** (Nidorina): female, quiet, mischievous, likes dry food, poison type, Rivalry ability, knows Fury Swipes, Double Kick, Poison Sting and Crunch.

 **Salea** (Blissey): female, gentle, somewhat vain, likes bitter food, normal type, Natural Cure ability, knows Softboiled, Psychic, Double-Edge and Egg Bomb.

 **Cylune** (Venomoth): male, modest, proud of its power, likes dry food, poison-bug type, Shield Dust ability, knows Stun Spore, Psychic, Toxic and Silver Wind.

 **Alicia Law:**

 **Active:**

 **Ruo** (Bayleef): male, naughty, often dozes off, likes spicy food, grass type, Overgrow ability, knows Body Slam, Synthesis, Razor Leaf and Safeguard.

 **Pari** (Dunsparce): male, quirky, likes to thrash about, eats anything, normal type, Serene Grace ability, knows Rollout, Screech, Yawn and Dig.

 **Saffa** (Magikarp): female, rash, often lost in thought, likes dry food, water type, Swift Swim ability, knows Splash.

 **Balva** (Slugma): male, hasty, a little quick tempered, likes sweet food, fire type, Flame Body ability, knows Harden, Rock Slide, Flamethrower and Body Slam.


	17. Weathering the Storm! (Part 2)

**Hello and welcome back to another chapter of** _ **Pokémon Journey: Livvi's Johto Scrapbook**_ **!**

 **Last chapter, Livvi was able to get her hands on some medicine for Alicia and even managed to defeat Chuck, the gym leader in Cianwood City. Now that she's recovered from her illness, it's now time for Alicia to challenge the Cianwood gym.**

 **Upload Date: 13** **th** **June 2018**

* * *

 **Chapter 17: Weathering the Storm! (Part 2)**

 _Cianwood City, Johto_

 _10:06am, 12_ _th_ _May 2006_

The lobby of the Cianwood gym was quiet as Livvi walked down the stairs from the stands, moving quickly but carefully. As she reached the bottom, she had a quick look around. Aside from the receptionist, there was no one there.

She didn't have to wait for long.

Alicia emerged from the darkened passage leading to the arena, a defeated expression on her face. After recovering from her illness, she'd probably felt like she could conquer anything. But the gym leader had quickly put paid to those thoughts. It had been such a dominating battle that Livvi had started to wonder how she'd even managed to win here in the first place.

"Hey," she said gently, moving over and putting her hand on Alicia's shoulder. "Don't worry. We all lose some battles every now and again. The important thing is to make sure that you learn from it for next time."

"Yeah…" Alicia mumbled.

It really wasn't easy knowing how to reassure someone after a loss. Livvi could remember how bad she'd felt after losing to Whitney back in Goldenrod City. Alicia had faced the same challenge back then and she knew that it had been difficult for her to say exactly the right things. Everyone reacted differently to these things as well – Livvi could try and give her the kind of advice and comfort that she would have wanted, only for it to be the wrong sort of advice or comfort for Alicia.

Still, as she'd already said, defeat was part of the whole experience as a pokémon trainer – it was unavoidable. Alicia knew this and had suffered defeats in the past as well. But Livvi could understand how this time might be different. Confidence was hard to build and all too easy to destroy.

They left the gym in silence and started walking. Neither of them suggested a destination. Livvi assumed that they were heading back to the pokémon centre – an easy guess in the aftermath of a gym battle, regardless of whether it had gone well or poorly. She glanced back at Alicia, who had a troubled look on her face. She suddenly shook her head vigorously and took a deep breath.

"I've got to improve! I've got to get stronger!" She turned to look at Livvi, a mix of emotions in her expression. "Chuck was so strong – it wasn't like any battle I've ever fought before…"

"Well, I'm here to help you," Livvi said, smiling. She was relieved that Alicia wanted to use the experience to improve herself. "So, what do you want to do next?"

"My pokémon need a trip to the pokémon centre," Alicia said. "After that, can we talk about a plan for training?"

"That's fine by me," Livvi replied. "We can discuss ideas on the way back to the pokémon centre and then I'll come up with a plan while you're getting the pokémon healed."

"That's great!" Alicia nodded. "Thanks, Livvi."

* * *

 _2:49pm, 12_ _th_ _May 2006_

After resting up over lunchtime, Livvi, Alicia and their teams were back out on the practice arenas fairly quickly. It hadn't taken them long to settle into a routine with it, going over each of Alicia's pokémon to find out how they could make some improvements to their performance.

Part of the problem Alicia had faced in the gym battle was the overwhelming power of Chuck's team, which she hadn't been prepared for and her pokémon hadn't had the endurance to hold out against. Livvi felt guilty about this – perhaps if she'd held off on her own gym battle for a little longer, then Alicia could have watched it and seen first-hand what she was going to be up against.

It was too late to regret the past though, and both of them had been discussing how things could be done differently. It wasn't an easy task though. Alicia's team simply wasn't well-built to counter Chuck. Balva was vulnerable to Chuck's poliwrath, as proven in the morning's battle, and Pari was weak to anything the fighting-type user would send out. Saffa would be of little help in any battle situation as well. That just left Ruo.

On the plus side, Balva was only at a disadvantage if he went up against Poliwrath, while Ruo would be at an advantage. That pretty much set Alicia's team for the next battle. The only remaining problem was working out a strategy that they could use to overcome the Cianwood gym leader's powerful pokémon.

"I think that we need to focus on evasion and making sure that you're out of the way of attacks," Livvi said as she and Alicia sat by the side of the arena after another round.

"That's part of the problem though," said Alicia. "Balva is pretty slow-moving and Ruo has a larger body. I kinda feel like we're moving away from their preferred battle styles if we focus on evasion."

She looked apologetic – she never seemed to like going against what Livvi was saying, but Livvi was relieved that she felt she was able to. And she couldn't help but smile: this was a sign of how well she knew her pokémon, which was vital for a trainer.

"How about we focus on building up defence then?" she suggested. "I'm not sure if it'll make them tough enough to hold off Chuck's attacks, but…"

"We can try it, right?" Alicia asked, standing up again.

"Well, we've got time." Livvi nodded. There weren't many other trainers in Cianwood at the moment and there were plenty of slots available for Alicia to pick from.

"Hmm? What's going on here?" Alicia said, glancing over at the pokémon.

"What do you mean?" Livvi asked.

"There." Alicia pointed.

"Is that…Saffa?" Livvi asked.

The magikarp, normally content to flop around on the floor, seemed to be 'battling' Pari. Every now and again, she was throwing herself into him and knocking him back slightly. Pari, for his part, was also tackling her back. It was a pretty surreal sight.

"Do you think she's okay?" Alicia asked anxiously. "Did they get into a fight over something?"

"Umm…" Livvi pondered for a second before suddenly realising something. "Oh! I remember now – magikarp are known for using Splash, but they can also learn a couple of other attacks. One of them is Tackle!"

"Y-You mean that Saffa has managed to learn an attack?!" Alicia exclaimed.

"It looks like it." Livvi nodded. "…But it looks to me like she doesn't have the strength to really hurt Pari." The two of them paused to watch the odd scuffle for a few more seconds. "Still, congrats, Alicia. If you keep working on training her, you might find yourself with a gyarados soon."

"That would be kinda useful for the gym battle," Alicia sighed. She looked back at Livvi. "Anyway, let's get to work on training Balva and Ruo for now. We can worry about the others later."

"Sure." Livvi nodded. "Let's get to it!"

* * *

 _11:42am, 13_ _th_ _May 2006_

"Use Razor Leaf!" Alicia called.

Out on the arena, Ruo fired a cluster of leaves towards Barru, mainly to try and distract him. As the ivysaur hunched down to shield himself from the attack, Ruo sprang forwards, planning to smash into him directly.

"Sludge Bomb!" Livvi shouted.

Barru stood up again and fired a blast of sludge at his approaching foe. Ruo was travelling too fast to stop or change direction. The poisonous sludge struck him and blasted him back. He landed in a heap, groaning as the sludge burned and irritated him.

"That was a good attempt." Livvi nodded approvingly. "I reckon if you focused more on keeping up your attacks and not leaving openings, then Ruo will do fine in the rematch."

"That's good to hear!" Alicia replied, spraying Ruo with a potion to heal his injuries. "I guess we've just got Pari left now…"

"Yeah." Livvi recalled Barru and beckoned to Pari and Dacino.

Rather than go straight into battling Chuck again today, Alicia had decided that she wanted to have all of her pokémon fight properly and work on any weaknesses. The rematch would have to wait until tomorrow.

It had surprised Livvi that Alicia had even included Saffa in the training regimen. She supposed that the younger trainer was really encouraged by the magikarp suddenly learning how to use Tackle. Not that her new-found ability to attack had helped her much in the battle – it had been a decisive and quick victory for Livvi's team. Saffa was far from being ready to fight in a gym battle.

Both Balva and Ruo had performed well – it was really just a case of ironing out their performance and teaching them new tactics for the upcoming battle. This was the most important part of today's training, given that Alicia was almost certain to choose the two of them for the rematch.

Pari had seemed like more of an afterthought, but even he seemed unusually eager as he bounced across the ground to take his position.

"You go first, Alicia!" Livvi called.

"Got it!" Alicia nodded. She grinned at Pari. "Use Rollout!"

Pari immediately tucked himself into a ball and rolled towards Dacino. The cyndaquil wasn't going to just sit there though – he immediately jumped to the side and blasted his approaching foe with a burst of flames.

"Use Swift!" Livvi ordered.

Dacino didn't hesitate. As soon as the flames died down, he fired a volley of star-shaped rays at the smouldering centre of his previous attack.

However, the rays simply struck the ground around a hole that had suddenly appeared. Pari had managed to escape at the last moment.

"Now's your chance, Pari!" Alicia shouted.

The dunsparce burst out of the ground on Dacino's right and slammed into him before he had the chance to react. As the cyndaquil stumbled back in shock, Pari used the momentum to fire himself forwards. He ploughed into Dacino with a powerful tackle – both pokémon crashed to the ground in pain.

"That was really powerful!" Livvi gasped. "Has Pari used an attack that strong before?"

"I mean, there's Rage…" Alicia mumbled, frowning as she tried to think. "Other than that, I'm not sure."

"Hey! Maybe he got inspired by Saffa and tried to learn something new himself!" Livvi called.

A quick glance through one of several trainer books Livvi had gave them their answer. It hadn't been an especially flashy attack, which helped narrow it down. They thought that it might be Take Down, or maybe even Double-Edge – the really powerful tackles that carried risks for the user as well as the opponent.

Pari's efforts to use the attack weren't perfect, but Alicia was now definitely glad that she'd decided not to challenge Chuck again today. Now she had plenty of time to work with Livvi to train up her team and help Pari with his new attack. It was kind of a shame that he wouldn't get a chance to use it tomorrow…

* * *

 _9:54am, 14_ _th_ _May 2006_

Despite all the training and all the effort that both she and her pokémon had put in over the last two days, Alicia still found herself feeling nervous as she and Livvi stepped back through the entrance to the Cianwood gym. It was probably a feeling that she was going to have to resign herself to feeling every time she was in this situation…

"Don't worry," Livvi said, immediately picking up on Alicia's mood. "Chuck took you by surprise last time – this time, you'll be ready for him."

"Yeah, you're right," Alicia said, breathing out sharply to try and relieve the pressure she felt in her chest. "I mean, we trained lots yesterday and all of my pokémon are much stronger now…"

Livvi reached out and hugged her. "You don't need to tell me – just feel how much better you are. You know that you can win this battle, don't you?"

"…Yeah." Alicia nodded.

Livvi pulled back and gently pushed Alicia on the back. "Go on – don't want to keep Chuck waiting!" She waved as she turned to head up the stairs to the stands.

Alicia took a deep breath and clapped her hands on her cheeks. "Right! Let's go!"

* * *

 _10:00am, 14_ _th_ _May 2006_

"Begin!"

At the referee's shout, both Alicia and Chuck reached for their poké balls. The atmosphere was just as intimidating as Alicia had found it during her first battle. Even though she and her pokémon had trained, this was something that was particularly difficult to overcome.

She resisted the temptation to immediately choose a pokémon and throw out that poké ball, which was normal for most battles. Instead, she delayed for just a couple of seconds as Chuck's ball popped open and the pokémon inside materialised on the arena floor.

It was his machoke – the same one she'd fought the previous time. So, he was sending him out first this time? Not that it really mattered. She needed to defeat him one way or another.

"Go, Balva!" She finally grabbed a poké ball and threw it.

Balva emerged from the ball and landed softly on the ground, his body spreading out slightly upon landing. He looked confident, but, like Alicia, he was still intimidated by the imposing opponent he faced.

"Use Harden!" Alicia called.

"Submission!" Chuck shouted.

Balva toughed the lava on the outside of his body as Machoke stormed towards him. He grabbed the slugma, lifted him up, and then slammed him back to the ground and pinned him down.

"Flamethrower!" Alicia called quickly, her heart racing.

With a grunt, Balva turned his head and blasted Machoke with a burst of flames. The temperature in the room soared as Machoke pulled himself back and stumbled away from Balva. A combination of the intense flames and the heat from Balva's body had left some pretty severe-looking burns on his arms and chest.

"Yes!" Livvi grinned as she watched Balva charge towards Machoke. "This is just what Alicia needed at the start of the battle!"

Last time, she'd been put on the backfoot far too quickly and hadn't really recovered. The fact that Balva now had the initiative would be a huge boost to her confidence. Machoke's burns would make him less able to put his full weight behind his attacks as well – a crucial advantage.

As Balva stiffened up his body again to withstand another punch thrown by Machoke, Livvi noticed how much more he was capable of taking hits now, after all of the training over the last couple of days. He was getting much better at fighting on the defensive and simply having the endurance to withstand direct attacks. Though, she supposed, his extremely hot body probably helped with that.

"Use Rock Slide!" Alicia called.

Balva grunted in exertion as he sent a shockwave through the ground. A cluster of rocks flew into the air and started tumbling towards Machoke. He shouted in alarm as they cascaded down onto him, pinning him to the ground.

"Use Focus Punch!" Chuck shouted.

"Flamethrower!" Alicia called.

Balva started firing another burst of flames towards Machoke, only to hear a crash and see rocks flying in all directions as the fighting type tore free of the temporary trap. Both Balva and Alicia were momentarily stunned – that attack had been far more powerful than they were expecting. In fact, Machoke seemed to be fighting all the harder and dealing heavier and heavier blows.

"Of course!" Livvi gasped, leaning forward on her seat anxiously. "Machoke can sometimes become stronger in difficult situations! I completely forgot…"

Down in the arena, Balva and Alicia fell back onto the defensive as Machoke stormed forwards to hurl another punch at Balva. He toughened up his body and held as long as he could. But he was still lifted up by the force of the attack and thrown backwards. He landed heavily on the ground but managed to pull himself back up again.

Alicia could tell that he was getting exhausted. Even with all of their training, Balva still wasn't suited to endurance fighting like this. Even with the added toughness of his hardened body, it was going to be tough holding off even one more attack.

But Machoke was getting worn down as well. Even if they weren't stopping him from hitting with his full strength, his burns must still be painful – that would sap his energy as well.

Alicia gritted her teeth. There was no other option: it was all or nothing!

"Use Rock Slide!"

Balva reacted instantly, sending a cluster of rocks into the air. As they tumbled forwards, Machoke stormed forwards, trying to smash his way through them. Even as boulders splintered and were swept aside, it was clear that each strike was hurting him even more.

Alicia fought through the instinct to panic as the hulking pokémon stormed towards Balva and her. "Use Flamethrower!"

Balva fired a burst of flames through the cascading debris. The heat and light blinded Machoke, allowing the final few boulders to smash into him while the flames scorched him. He stumbled forwards for a couple more steps before suddenly sagging. He tumbled forwards and crashed to the ground, his right fist mere inches from Balva.

"Machoke is unable to battle!" the referee announced. "Slugma is the winner!"

Balva and Alicia both let out the breath they'd been holding and relaxed. Alicia quickly caught herself as she felt her legs grow weak behind her – she still had a battle to direct! She grinned at Balva. "Great work," she said. "You really showed 'em this time!"

Balva returned the grin wearily.

"Hmph! Not bad!" Chuck recalled Machoke. "Let's see if you can handle Poliwrath again…" He reached for another poké ball and threw it out.

Poliwrath materialised on the battlefield as the railings appeared around Chuck and Alicia's positions. The arena floor sank down to a lower level, revealing the large drains at the side to contain Poliwrath's attacks.

Alicia's heart tightened. "Balva, return!" she called. Poliwrath had knocked out Balva almost straight away in their last battle and Ruo had only narrowly managed to beat him. Their position was better than it had been before, but the thought of trying to fight through the brute force of Poliwrath's attacks scared her.

Balva was hit by the red recall beam and returned to his poké ball. There was little more he'd be able to do in this battle, though both he and Alicia had expected that from the start. Poliwrath's appearance was unwelcome but not surprising.

"Go, Ruo!" Alicia threw Ruo's ball down at the lower level.

The ball popped open and the energy within reshaped itself into Ruo. He stood firmly, watching his opponent carefully. He wasn't going to take this battle lightly, especially after the intensity of Balva's battle with Machoke and his own experiences in the last battle. He knew that Alicia was counting on him. He wouldn't let her down.

"Use Body Slam!" Chuck ordered.

Poliwrath immediately stormed forwards, so fast that he was almost upon Ruo before Alicia had even registered that he'd moved.

"Safeguard!" she cried hoarsely.

Ruo had just enough time to throw up a mystical veil around himself before Poliwrath slammed into him. He flew back, smashing into the base of Alicia's platform.

"Ruo!" Alicia shouted in alarm.

The bayleef shook himself and limped back up. He stepped forwards, shooting a quick, reassuring look at Alicia before turning his attention back to Poliwrath.

Alicia took a deep breath. "Use Razor Leaf!"

Ruo didn't hesitate. He immediately fired a cloud of razor-sharp leaves towards Poliwrath. Though he tried to dodge them, Ruo had made sure to space them out as much as possible. A couple sliced his leg, slowing him down enough for Ruo to land a couple of extra hits.

"Use Surf!" Chuck bellowed.

"Watch out, Alicia!" Livvi shouted a warning from the stands.

Alicia briefly glanced at her before turning back to Ruo. Before her first match with Chuck, she might have been tempted to scoff at that advice – sure, it might be powerful, but it was still a water-type attack against a grass-type pokémon after all. This time, she was ready.

"Use Body Slam!" she shouted as a swirling mass of water appeared around Poliwrath.

There was a roar as the deluge of water crashed towards Ruo. At the last moment, he leapt into the air to try and attack Poliwrath from above.

"Focus Punch!"

As Ruo tried to descend towards Poliwrath, he lost sight of him in the churning mass of water. Just as he was about to hit the water's surface, his opponent appeared as if from nowhere, slugging him with a punch so powerful that he temporarily blacked out. All concentration gone, he was carried away by the water and smashed into Alicia's platform once again.

"Hang in there, Ruo!" Alicia called desperately. "Use Synthesis!"

As the water started receding, Ruo stumbled about in a daze. He raised the leaf on his head and started absorbing sunlight through it. He instantly started feeling the horrible pain from Poliwrath's punch disappearing.

"Razor Leaf!" Alicia shouted.

"Surf!" Chuck called.

Both pokémon fired their attacks at the same time. Ruo's leaves struck the oncoming wave and lost their momentum as they were carried away by the flood. Ruo stood his ground, bracing himself as the wave approached him.

"Body Slam!" Chuck ordered.

"You too, Ruo!" Alicia shouted.

Poliwrath swam forwards with the wave as crashed around Ruo. Both pokémon jumped at the same moment, Ruo managing to get away just before he was swamped by the wave. They collided with a loud thud, with Poliwrath's extra momentum giving him the edge.

"Razor Leaf!" Alicia yelled.

As Ruo toppled backwards, he whipped his head around to fire a cluster of leaves at Poliwrath as he dropped back down towards the swirling waters. He scored a direct hit before dropping into the water himself. He struggled to stay afloat and avoid being swept away by the water. Fortunately, his opponent had been hit badly enough that he didn't have to worry about another atta-

Poliwrath burst from the water all of a sudden and slammed into Ruo, carrying him with the momentum of the wave to once again crash into the base of Alicia's platform.

"Whoa!" she cried in alarm as the platform itself shuddered with the force of the impact.

Ruo was pinned in place, held in firm lock by Poliwrath. All that was left was for him to deal the final knockout blow and the battle would be over.

"Razor Leaf!" Alicia shouted.

Ruo whipped his head around, sending a desperate blast of leaves at his opponent. Poliwrath slackened his grip, but then pushed back again. Ruo was once again pinned. However, his body was suddenly enveloped in a green glow. He managed to push Poliwrath back ever so slightly and, with a wave of his head, fired another cluster of leaves at him.

This time, the leaves tore into him with extra power, causing him to drop to his knees and struggle to keep himself in place. Ruo stormed forwards and smashed into him with a full-body tackle. Poliwrath finally toppled backwards and landed with a crash, while Ruo struggled to stay on his feet.

"Poliwrath is unable to battle!" the referee announced. "Bayleef is the winner! Both of the gym leader's pokémon are unable to battle, so the winner of this match is the challenger, Alicia Law from Cherrygrove City!"

"Phew!" Alicia had been gripping the railings for much of the second round and now used it to support herself as the tension she'd built up drained out of her. She smiled down at Ruo as he limped over towards her. There was a rumbling as the arena floor started rising again.

"I'm glad to see that you put the time between our previous battle to good use," Chuck said as he recalled Poliwrath to his poké ball. As the floor stopped moving and the railings lowered, he started walking forwards towards Alicia.

"Th-Thanks," Alicia said wearily. Now that their victory was starting to sink in, she was starting to feel herself fill with energy again. She walked up to Ruo and gently stroked his head. "You really did everything, Ruo," she whispered. "I'm so proud of you."

Ruo grunted happily in response. He made no effort to move and simply waited for her to recall him to his poké ball.

"Here." As Chuck reached her, he held out his hand. The Storm Badge sat in his palm. "It's rare for trainers to beat me first time, but it's even rarer for them to come back after losing. Take that fighting spirit with you all the way to the Johto League."

"I will!" Alicia nodded proudly, taking the badge. "I'm glad that I was able to put up more of a fight this time!"

* * *

 _10:12am, 14_ _th_ _May 2006_

"So, what do we do now?" Livvi asked as she and Alicia stepped out of the Cianwood gym. She paused to look at her companion.

"What should we do?" Alicia sang cheerfully, gazing down at her newly-won gym badge. "I kinda feel like doing something to mark this."

"Let's go and find somewhere then," said Livvi. "I saw a really nice-looking cake shop when I was out the other day."

"Sure!" Alicia nodded eagerly. She ran up to walk alongside Livvi, humming cheerfully. "I guess we should think about where we're going after this, right?"

"Yeah." Livvi responded automatically before fully registering what Alicia had said. "Hang on – we're at the edge of the Johto region. There's only one way for us to go!"

"Oh yeah!" Alicia giggled. "I forgot!"

"We can head back to Olivine," said Livvi. "You still need to fight the Olivine gym leader, after all."

"That sounds good," Alicia said hesitantly.

"Something wrong?" Livvi asked.

"I was kinda hoping we could do some sightseeing together before we head back," Alicia said, giving Livvi a winning smile.

"Well, I don't mind," Livvi replied, smiling back. "I'm sure it won't matter if we delay going back until tomorrow or the day after."

"Yay!" Alicia cheered. She finally pulled out her badge case and put her Storm Badge away before grabbing Livvi's arm. "Let's go then!"

The two girls continued talking as they walked back through Cianwood City. The life of a trainer could be tough and stressful at times. There was no harm in taking some time off every now and again.

* * *

 **Another gym battle finished, and another gym badge earned. I don't have anything in particular to mention this chapter, other than we'll be moving back to the Johto mainland next chapter for another gym battle. I've quite enjoyed this little arc in Cianwood City and I'm almost sorry that Livvi and Alicia will be back in Olivine City next time.**

 **As ever, I appreciate any feedback you have on this chapter and don't forget to leave a like on the Facebook page.**

 **Until next time!**

* * *

 **Team Listings:**

 **Livvi Weston:**

 **Active:**

 **Barru** (Ivysaur): male, timid, highly persistent, likes sweet food, grass-poison type, Overgrow ability, knows Double-Edge, Sludge Bomb, Solar Beam and Leech Seed.

 **Evoro** (Jolteon): male, jolly, alert to sounds, likes sweet food, electric type, Volt Absorb ability, knows Thunderbolt, Double Team, Double Kick and Quick Attack.

 **Tavro** (Hypno): male, quirky, loves to eat, eats anything, psychic type, Forewarn ability, knows Psychic, Hypnosis, Future Sight and Headbutt.

 **Litine** (Azumarill): female, mild, good endurance, likes dry food, water type, Thick Fat ability, knows Double-Edge, Rain Dance, Hydro Pump and Rollout.

 **Dacino** (Cyndaquil): male, adamant, loves to eat, likes spicy food, fire type, Blaze ability, knows Flamethrower, Swift, Flame Wheel and Smokescreen.

 **Ferru** (Teddiursa): male, hardy, loves to eat, eats anything, normal type, Pickup ability, knows Feint Attack, Slash, Thrash and Fake Tears.

 **In Viridian City:**

 **Dorru** (Nidorina): female, quiet, mischievous, likes dry food, poison type, Rivalry ability, knows Fury Swipes, Double Kick, Poison Sting and Crunch.

 **Salea** (Blissey): female, gentle, somewhat vain, likes bitter food, normal type, Natural Cure ability, knows Softboiled, Psychic, Double-Edge and Egg Bomb.

 **Cylune** (Venomoth): male, modest, proud of its power, likes dry food, poison-bug type, Shield Dust ability, knows Stun Spore, Psychic, Toxic and Silver Wind.

 **Alicia Law:**

 **Active:**

 **Ruo** (Bayleef): male, naughty, often dozes off, likes spicy food, grass type, Overgrow ability, knows Body Slam, Synthesis, Razor Leaf and Safeguard.

 **Pari** (Dunsparce): male, quirky, likes to thrash about, eats anything, normal type, Serene Grace ability, knows Rollout, Screech, Double-Edge and Dig.

 **Saffa** (Magikarp): female, rash, often lost in thought, likes dry food, water type, Swift Swim ability, knows Splash and Tackle.

 **Balva** (Slugma): male, hasty, a little quick tempered, likes sweet food, fire type, Flame Body ability, knows Harden, Rock Slide, Flamethrower and Body Slam.


	18. Magma and Minerals

**Hello and welcome to another chapter of** _ **Pokémon Journey: Livvi's Johto Scrapbook**_ **!**

 **Last time, Alicia trained with Livvi to prepare for a rematch with Chuck, the gym leader in Cianwood City, and managed to earn herself the Storm Badge.**

 **Upload Date: 26** **th** **June 2018**

* * *

 **Chapter 18: Magma and Minerals**

 _Olivine City, Johto_

 _2:23pm, 17_ _th_ _May 2006_

"Argh! Why can't they just lower the gangplank already?!"

Alicia was practically hopping up and down as she waited impatiently for the ferry to finish docking in Olivine City's port. She hadn't been able to sit still at any point during the journey – she was far too enthusiastic about the idea of facing Jasmine and earning herself a sixth Johto League badge.

Livvi couldn't help but laugh at her enthusiasm. It was hard to believe that Alicia had been bedridden only a few short days ago. Still, she understood her getting caught up in the thrill of her victory over Chuck. Now that she had some momentum, of course she wanted to give it her all and try to win another battle.

If memory served, Jasmine was a user of predominantly steel-type pokémon. Livvi wasn't entirely sure how much that would help Alicia. Pari and Balva had effective moves and would be able to resist their attacks to varying extents, but Ruo would be of little help. As would Saffa. Still, a three-on-three battle would mean that Alicia really wouldn't have much choice about who to use. She'd just have to go with her three fighters and hope that Pari and Balva could handle everything.

Of course, Livvi got the feeling that Alicia would have much trouble anyway, or that if there was, then it would be down to some other factor instead. She found it hard to believe that Alicia would lose out to Jasmine in enthusiasm and determination!

"Finally!" Alicia exclaimed as the doorway finally opened so that they could start disembarking from the ferry. "Let's go!"

"Sure!" Livvi nodded, following her down the gangplank. "Ah! Don't run – you might trip!"

"Sorry!" Alicia slowed and continued down at a brisk walking pace. When she reached the bottom, she made to bolt towards the city centre.

"Hold on a second!" Livvi quickly grabbed her shoulder before she could move. "You're not planning on running the whole way there, are you?"

"Sorry." Alicia apologised to her again. "I just can't wait to get there and start my gym battle! I really feel like I could conquer anything right now!"

"I get that, but you don't want to be exhausted right when you start your battle!" Livvi exclaimed. She smiled though. Even if Alicia could be a little over-the-top sometimes, it was still great to see her like this. Especially after seeing her when she was ill.

"That's a good point." Alicia nodded. "I hadn't thought of that."

"Let's walk to the gym," said Livvi. "That means we can talk about the battle on our way there."

"Sure!"

The two of them started walking away from the port and towards the city centre. Livvi knew that the gym was farther away from them than Alicia remembered – she really would have been exhausted by the time she got there if she'd decided to run the whole way. This way would be better and Livvi would have a chance to give Alicia some pointers about what to expect when facing Jasmine.

* * *

 _3:12pm, 17_ _th_ _May 2006_

"Wow! This is much further than I remember it being!" Alicia said as she and Livvi walked up the road towards the large building that housed the Olivine City gym.

"Yeah, I thought that you'd forgotten," said Livvi. "That's why I wanted us to walk."

"Thanks for that," Alicia replied, smiling at her. "Though I think I probably would have stopped running after a while!"

Livvi laughed. "Yeah, but then you would have had less energy!"

They continued walking towards the building. The automatic doors to the lobby whirred open to greet them. Though the interior of the lobby wasn't exactly exciting, the air conditioning was working, and the air inside felt nice and cool on their skin. It made a nice change after the hotter, more oppressive air out in the open.

"Hi! When's the soonest slot I can book for a gym battle?" Alicia asked, bouncing over to the reception desk.

"I believe that the very next slot is available," the receptionist replied. He quickly checked his computer. "Yeah, the next slot starts in a couple of minutes. You interested?"

"That's perfect!" Alicia nodded eagerly. "Here's my trainer card." She handed over the card before the receptionist could even ask for it.

"Thanks," he said as he took it. After quickly scanning it, he handed it back to her. "You can probably head straight in if you want. There's no one else in the arena at the moment. I'll let Jasmine know that you're here and she'll be with you shortly."

"Thank you very much!" Alicia replied, bowing her head slightly as she put her trainer card away. She turned to Livvi as they walked away from the desk and towards the passageway to the main arena. "Aren't I lucky? I get to have my battle right away!"

"Are you sure you'll be okay without having a chance to do some training?" Livvi asked, concern in her voice.

"Don't worry – we trained really hard for my rematch with Chuck, so my team and I are still warmed up!" Alicia assured her.

"You also had several days off since then," Livvi replied. "I don't remember doing much training around then."

"Well, you know – all work and no play…" Alicia said. She gave her head a shake. "Don't worry! If we could take on Chuck, then we'll be able to beat Jasmine, I just know it!"

Well, that was probably true, even if Livvi disliked it as an approach. She knew that overconfidence could often lead to defeat.

Still, overenthusiasm had led Alicia to defeat in her first battle against Chuck, and Livvi was sure that that was something she wouldn't forget all that quickly. More importantly, she was determined and well-motivated. If she could get that over to her team, then it probably wouldn't be a problem.

"Right!" Livvi said, coming to a stop by the stairs up to the stands. "Good luck then, Alicia! I'll be cheering for you!"

"Thanks, Livvi," Alicia said, suddenly smiling bashfully. "I'll do my best!"

* * *

 _3:18pm, 17_ _th_ _May 2006_

Though this wasn't the first time that Alicia had registered to battle at the Olivine gym, it was the first time that she'd encountered the gym leader. It was always intimidating – a gym leader was someone who dedicated so much time and effort to improving their battling that they stood above the average trainer. And when there was gym badge at stake, knowing that this person was the obstacle that she needed to overcome made Alicia conscious of the difference between.

After Alicia and Jasmine briefly exchanged greetings, the referee stepped up to the side of the arena to begin her announcements. "This is an official Johto League gym battle between the Olivine gym leader, Jasmine, and the challenger, Alicia Law from Cherrygrove City! This battle will be fought using a three-on-three single format and will be over when all three of one side's pokémon are unable to battle! In addition, only the challenger will be allowed to substitute pokémon!"

Alicia tightened her grip on her first poké ball as she waited for the signal.

"Begin!"

Both she and Jasmine hurled their first poké balls out into the arena. Pari materialised on her side, while a magnemite appeared floating in the air on the gym leader's end of the battlefield.

"Use Sonic Boom!" Jasmine called, not wasting a second.

Magnemite immediately fired a sonic blast towards Pari. Caught off-guard by the sudden attack, he took the hit directly and was thrown back. He landed with a crash close to Alicia.

"A-Are you okay, Pari?" Alicia asked.

With a grunt, Pari pulled himself up and bounced forwards again. He nodded back at Alicia.

"Use Screech!" Alicia called.

With a second nod, Pari opened his mouth and emitted a high-pitched shriek that filled the arena and stunned everyone within earshot.

"Now use Rollout!" Alicia yelled over the din, clutching her own ears to shield them.

The sound stopped as Pari curled up and started rolling violently towards the still-stunned Magnemite. He slammed into it and knocked it backwards with a crash. Though it smashed into the ground, it quickly lifted itself back up into the air again.

"Use Thunderbolt!" Jasmine ordered.

With a silent nod, Magnemite fired a blast of electricity back towards Pari as he rolled around for another attack. It was a direct hit, electrocuting Pari, but failing to stop his next attack. He slammed into Magnemite a second time, this time with more power and momentum.

"Sonic Boom!" Jasmine shouted.

Pulling back Magnemite fired another sonic blast at Pari as he came charging again. Another direct hit, this time throwing Pari off his attack completely. He crashed down to the ground but quickly hopped back up again.

"Use Dig!" Alicia yelled. The earlier attacks had softened Magnemite up. As long as they could pull off this attack, they should be able to win the first round.

Pari immediately bored into the ground with his drill-like tail and vanished from sight. Magnemite started drifting about, carefully watching out for any sign of movement from the ground below.

"As soon as you see him, use Thunderbolt!" Jasmine called.

Magnemite gave a nod. Seconds later, Pari erupted from the ground on its left. Magnemite span and fired a blast of electricity which struck the dunsparce directly. However, he didn't let it stop his momentum. He smashed into Magnemite's underside, sending it flying back with mechanical groans of pain. It crashed to the ground and lay silent.

"Magnemite is unable to battle," the referee announced as Jasmine recalled Magnemite to its poké ball. "Dunsparce is the winner!"

"We did it, Pari! Great work!" Alicia cheered, calling out to Pari as he dropped back to the ground and bounced back to his half of the arena.

"Pari was always going to do well here," Livvi murmured as she watched from the stands. "He's a tough pokémon and he has an overwhelming type advantage. Still, Alicia only has Balva in reserve, really…"

Jasmine pulled out her next poké ball and threw it out. "Go, Magnemite!"

Jasmine's second magnemite beeped and chimed as it emerged from the ball and started hovering above the battlefield.

"Use Screech!" Alicia shouted.

"Sonic Boom!" Jasmine called.

Pari emitted another ear-splitting screech as Magnemite hurled a wave of sonic blasts towards him. Though Magnemite was quickly disoriented by the loud noise, his attack tore straight through with no problems and slammed into the dunsparce. He was thrown back but managed to roll the right way up as he landed.

"Now use Dig!" Alicia shouted.

Pari, covered in bumps and bruises, gave a weary nod before digging into the ground with his tail again. He vanished from sight, though the sound of his digging still filled the air.

"Wait for it!" Jasmine called, looking around anxiously.

Magnemite prepared to attack the instant its opponent appeared. A sudden eruption from the ground just in front of it drew its attention. As Pari emerged and leapt up towards it, it fired a blast of sonic energy. Smashing straight into him, it knocked down to the ground with a heavy thud.

However, the plucky dunsparce pulled himself up once again. He was on his last legs, but he could still go on.

"Dig once more!" Alicia yelled.

"Use Thunderbolt!" Jasmine shouted.

Pari burrowed back into the ground just in time, the blast of electricity striking a split second after he'd vanished. The whirring sound of his tail boring through the ground made the atmosphere in the room even tenser as Magnemite waited to see where he would emerge from.

"There!" Jasmine shouted.

Magnemite fired a sonic blast down at a spot as it heard the digging get closer. Though it was a direct hit, it hadn't unearthed a tunnel and Pari hadn't been harmed at all. However, the sound of his digging had stopped. Was he going to wait them out.

"Keep watching, Magnemite!" Jasmine called, scanning the battlefield carefully.

Magnemite nodded and started cautiously drifting over the arena, spinning slowly around to cover all directions. It suddenly heard soft crunching noise. Spinning around again, it was just in time to see Pari emerge from the exit hole from his first attack. He slammed into it with all his might, managing to strike before it had a chance to fire off a counter.

With a mechanical shout, Magnemite tumbled to ground with a crash.

"Magnemite is unable to battle!" the referee announced. "Dunsparce is the winner!"

"Wow! She's on a roll!" Livvi grinned as she watched Jasmine recall her second magnemite. Now it was three against one! It was a position many gym challengers would be intensely jealous of.

"Go, Steelix!" Jasmine called, throwing out her final poké ball.

With a roar, the iron snake emerged from the poké ball and materialised on the battlefield. She towered over Pari and glowered down at him, apparently unimpressed with the foe who had managed to defeat her two team mates.

Pari, for his part, was looking far less confident than he had a minute ago. He was bruised, battered, and exhausted after the fight with the two magnemite and was now stood against a huge and obviously very powerful pokémon.

Fortunately for him, Alicia shared his horror at the opponent they now faced. It had been easy to notice his reaction to Steelix's appearance and, quite frankly, Alicia was as intimidated as he was. Still, she knew that Pari wouldn't last long against Steelix, if he were even capable of making an attack. It was time to switch things around. "Pari, return!"

"Good call," Livvi murmured to herself as Pari returned to his poké ball. The dunsparce himself had seemed very relieved by that order as well.

"Go, Balva!" Alicia called, hurling out her next poké ball.

Balva called out as he materialised on the battlefield. He, too, looked intimidated by the towering opponent on the other side of the arena.

"Use Rock Throw!" Jasmine called.

"Dodge it and use Harden!" Alicia shouted.

Steelix immediately hurled a boulder towards Balva, who slid quickly to the side. The boulder smashed to the ground and shattered into pieces, one of the fragments glancing Balva. He quickly recovered though and stiffened the magma covering his body.

"Use Sandstorm!" Jasmine yelled.

Steelix nodded and whipped up a swirling sandstorm that started circling around the arena.

"Whoa!" Livvi gasped, reaching up to shield her face as the sand blew past, battering at her. She groaned at the thought of trying to get the sand out of her hair later.

Down in the arena, Balva winced as the sand battered him too.

"Use Harden again!" Alicia shouted over the noise of the swirling winds.

With a nod, Balva hunched down and stiffened his body again. It helped, and more of the sand particles bounced off harmlessly.

"Iron Tail!" Jasmine ordered.

Steelix suddenly stopped forwards, looming out of the gloom in the arena and making both Balva and Alicia jump in fright. She whirled her tail around and smashed it into Balva, sending him flying back.

"Use Flamethrower!" Alicia shouted as Balva landed.

With a shout, the slugma took a deep breath and fired a stream of flames towards Steelix. She shouted in pain as the flames engulfed much of her lower body. She swayed in agony, her head whirling around.

"Use Rock Throw!" Alicia could just make out Jasmine's voice over the howl of the sandstorm. It was impossible to see the other end of the arena. She couldn't even see the referee or Livvi anymore.

Steelix stopped swaying and hurled a rock towards Balva, who mistimed his attempt to jump back. Partly caught by the attack, he hit the ground hard.

"And again!" Jasmine yelled.

Steelix fired another boulder towards Balva as he struggled to get himself back up again. As he closed his eyes and braced for impact, a turquoise-coloured forcefield suddenly appeared around him. The rock struck the shield and shattered, the shards flying off in all directions, including one that cut Alicia's cheek as it passed.

"B-Balva?" she cried out, covering her cheek with her hand as she looked back over at her pokémon. Somehow, he'd managed to protect himself completely from the attack. Alicia realised that she had an opportunity to strike back. "Use Flamethrower again! Aim for the head!"

Balva reacted quickly, firing a blast of flames up into the air. He adjusted his aim slightly to allow for the fast winds of the sandstorm still raging around him, and the searing blast finally struck Steelix on the chin. Balva maintained his attack as Steelix roared in pain, heating up the metal covering her head and upper body.

"Rock Slide!" Alicia shouted.

With a shout, Balva emitted a small shockwave that tore up chunks of rock around him. They flew into the air and tumbled towards Steelix, smashing into the weakened steel armour covering her body. Steelix let out another roar and crashed to the ground under the onslaught. The sandstorm dissipated as she lay silent.

"S-Steelix is unable to battle! Slugma is the winner!" the referee announced. "All three of the gym leader's pokémon are unable to battle, so the match goes to the challenger, Alicia Law from Cherrygrove City!"

"We did it!" Alicia gasped, smiling wearily at Balva. "Great work out there." She glanced down at Pari's poké ball and smiled at the dunsparce within. "And you did great as well, Pari! Thanks!"

As Jasmine recalled Steelix to her poké ball, there was a sudden flash of light from Balva. His body was quickly enveloped in a bright white glow as it started to change and grow. As the light started to fade, Alicia noticed that he now had a large, rocky shell on his back.

"You evolved?" she cried in delight, running over to him. "Congratulations, Balva!"

Balva grunted at her as she patted him on his new shell.

"Ah!" Alicia cried in alarm as the part of the shell she'd been touching crumbled beneath her fingers. "A-Are you okay, Balva?! I'm so sorry!"

"Don't worry, he'll be able to restore any parts that drop off," Jasmine said as she came over.

"That's a relief," Alicia sighed. She pulled out her Pokédex.

" _Magcargo, the lava pokémon and the evolved form of slugma. A magcargo's shell is actually its skin that hardened as a result of cooling. Its shell is very brittle and fragile - just touching it causes it to crumble apart. This pokémon returns to its original size by dipping itself in magma. Water is vaporized on contact with its extremely hot body. If this pokémon is caught in the rain, the raindrops instantly turn into steam, cloaking the area in a thick fog._ "

"Well, congratulations on your pokémon evolving and on your victory," Jasmine said. "I'm a little ashamed that my pokémon and I weren't able to put up more of a fight, but that's just the way things are…" She held out a small, steel-coloured badge. "For your victory, I present you and your team with the Mineral Badge, Alicia Law."

"Thank you so much!" Alicia replied eagerly, taking the badge. She grinned at Balva as she held it out to him. "Look at what we won, Balva! It's all thanks to you and Pari!"

Balva grinned back wearily. He looked like he could do with a good rest.

* * *

 _3:39pm, 17_ _th_ _May 2006_

"How are they?" Livvi asked Alicia as she came back over from the reception desk at the Olivine pokémon centre.

"They're both doing great," Alicia replied. "They need a couple of days rest before they can battle again, but other than that they're perfect."

Alicia had taken both Balva and Pari to the pokémon centre as soon as she'd left the arena at the Olivine gym. Livvi had only just made it down to the lobby in time to join her!

"I guess we should take care of ourselves now," Livvi sighed, looking at their still sand-covered clothes.

"I guess so," Alicia replied cheerfully, walking at Livvi's side as they started heading to their room. "It'll feel good getting all this sand off of me!"

"Still, it was a good battle," said Livvi. "You really took the gym by storm – at the rate you're going, you're going to end up better than me!"

"A-Ah, I don't think so," Alicia replied, looking down. "I've still got a long way to go…"

"On that subject, where should we head next?" Livvi asked. "We still need to get two gym badges each if we want to participate in the Johto League."

"Are there any other gyms nearby?" Alicia asked.

"I'm not sure," Livvi replied. "But I did think that it might be a good idea to start heading east so that we're ready to move towards Silver Town at the start of the league."

"I like that idea." Alicia nodded. "I'm sure there'll be some interesting gyms to challenge over there as well."

"How about we start by heading back to Ecruteak City?" Livvi asked. "I remember there being several roads leading out of there, so it would be a good place to decide where we want to head next."

"Sounds good to me!" Alicia nodded eagerly. "I can't wait!"

* * *

 **Another gym battle finished, and another gym badge earned. Though this was never going to be the most exciting battle, I was rather pleased with some of the tactics I had Alicia and her team use this battle. In particular, the sound of digging always struck me as a weakness that the user would have to contend with in order to maintain the element of surprise. Having previously dug tunnels to use would help with that, I thought.**

 **Anyway, Livvi and Alicia are on their way back to Ecruteak City for the next chapter. In the meantime, I have to turn my focus to making sure that Chapters 69 and 70 of** _ **Pokémon Journey: Hoenn**_ **get finished in time. I think I'm doing well, but my spree isn't over quite yet!**

 **As ever, I appreciate any feedback you have on this chapter and don't forget to leave a like on the Facebook page.**

 **Until next time!**

* * *

 **Team Listings:**

 **Livvi Weston:**

 **Active:**

 **Barru** (Ivysaur): male, timid, highly persistent, likes sweet food, grass-poison type, Overgrow ability, knows Double-Edge, Sludge Bomb, Solar Beam and Leech Seed.

 **Evoro** (Jolteon): male, jolly, alert to sounds, likes sweet food, electric type, Volt Absorb ability, knows Thunderbolt, Double Team, Double Kick and Quick Attack.

 **Tavro** (Hypno): male, quirky, loves to eat, eats anything, psychic type, Forewarn ability, knows Psychic, Hypnosis, Future Sight and Headbutt.

 **Litine** (Azumarill): female, mild, good endurance, likes dry food, water type, Thick Fat ability, knows Double-Edge, Rain Dance, Hydro Pump and Rollout.

 **Dacino** (Cyndaquil): male, adamant, loves to eat, likes spicy food, fire type, Blaze ability, knows Flamethrower, Swift, Flame Wheel and Smokescreen.

 **Ferru** (Teddiursa): male, hardy, loves to eat, eats anything, normal type, Pickup ability, knows Feint Attack, Slash, Thrash and Fake Tears.

 **In Viridian City:**

 **Dorru** (Nidorina): female, quiet, mischievous, likes dry food, poison type, Rivalry ability, knows Fury Swipes, Double Kick, Poison Sting and Crunch.

 **Salea** (Blissey): female, gentle, somewhat vain, likes bitter food, normal type, Natural Cure ability, knows Softboiled, Psychic, Double-Edge and Egg Bomb.

 **Cylune** (Venomoth): male, modest, proud of its power, likes dry food, poison-bug type, Shield Dust ability, knows Stun Spore, Psychic, Toxic and Silver Wind.

 **Alicia Law:**

 **Active:**

 **Ruo** (Bayleef): male, naughty, often dozes off, likes spicy food, grass type, Overgrow ability, knows Body Slam, Synthesis, Razor Leaf and Safeguard.

 **Pari** (Dunsparce): male, quirky, likes to thrash about, eats anything, normal type, Serene Grace ability, knows Rollout, Screech, Double-Edge and Dig.

 **Saffa** (Magikarp): female, rash, often lost in thought, likes dry food, water type, Swift Swim ability, knows Splash and Tackle.

 **Balva** (Magcargo): male, hasty, a little quick tempered, likes sweet food, fire type, Flame Body ability, knows Protect, Rock Slide, Flamethrower and Body Slam.


	19. A Sister's Duty

**Hello and welcome to another chapter of** _ **Pokémon Journey: Livvi's Johto Scrapbook**_ **!**

 **Last chapter saw Livvi and Alicia arrive back in Olivine City so that Alicia could battle the local gym. After facing off against Jasmine's fearsome steel types, Alicia and Balva were able to pull through and win the Mineral Badge, with Balva evolving into a magcargo shortly afterwards.**

 **Upload Date: 25** **th** **July 2018**

* * *

 **Chapter 19: A Sister's Duty**

 _Ecruteak City, Johto_

 _8:46pm, 25_ _th_ _May 2006_

It was a dark and rainy evening as Livvi and Alicia trudged wearily up one of the streets leading into central Ecruteak. A series of pointless delays on the road back from Olivine had drained a lot of the enthusiasm left over from Alicia's victory over Jasmine and had slowed them down as they tried to get back here. The rain had only made them feel even worse.

Still, the fact that they were finally close to their destination lifted their spirits. They were looking forward to getting an opportunity to rest and get dry. Then they could figure out what they were going to do next. Or rather, where they were going to head next. There wasn't much point in staying in Ecruteak long with this weather ruining the views. They'd seen most of what they wanted to see when they'd been through the first time, anyway.

"How much further to the pokémon centre?" Alicia asked wearily.

"Hang on." Livvi stopped under the eave of a nearby building and pulled out her map to double-check. She thought she'd become much better at judging the time it would take them to get from place to place since first setting off for Johto. "Maybe twenty minutes from here?" she replied. "If you want, then we could head to a different pokémon centre instead?"

"No, it's fine," Alicia said. "The central pokémon centre has more space, so…"

"Yeah." Livvi nodded. Neither of them liked the idea of finally getting to a pokémon centre, only to find that there were no free rooms.

"So, where are we going to head after this?" Alicia asked, attempting to strike up a conversation as they moved off against.

"Do you want me to stop and look at the map again?" Livvi asked jokingly. "I'm not sure at the moment – I thought we could talk about it when we get to the pokémon centre. It'll be nice and warm there."

"Well, we already covered Goldenrod and Azalea," said Alicia. "Where else is there to go?"

"The popular route seems to be via Mahogany Town," Livvi replied. "I was having a look at the details on the map yesterday and it actually looks like quite an interesting route – there are lots of places around there that I'd like to visit on the way!"

"I want to go whichever way you want to go!" Alicia said enthusiastically, turning to look at her.

"Thanks!" Livvi grinned and patted her shoulder as she walked past. "Feel free to disagree with me, though. I don't mind." She paused, noticing that Alicia hadn't moved. "…Alicia?"

"Ah!" Alicia suddenly exclaimed, snapping back to attention. "Oh…umm, it was just…" A troubled look crossed her face as she scanned the rainy street behind her. "N-Nothing!" She turned around and started striding forwards toward the city centre.

Livvi followed behind her. Alicia's sudden reaction had made her aware of it too – the odd feeling that they were being followed, or at least, watched. It was a feeling she was all too used to. As she and Alicia continued moving, she hoped that there weren't going to be any nasty surprises in store. Specifically, that that horrid squirtle wasn't going to suddenly pop out of nowhere and add to their woes. Though, she supposed, she was already soaked so there wasn't much more that Lallo could do…

* * *

 _9:12pm, 25_ _th_ _May 2006_

"Yes, we've still got plenty of rooms available. Would you like to book one?"

At the receptionist's words, both Livvi and Alicia felt their shoulders sag in relief.

"Yes please!" Livvi replied immediately.

"You'll be in Room 31," the receptionist said. "May I see your trainer cards?"

"Here." Both Livvi and Alicia turned over their trainer cards.

The receptionist quickly looked at Livvi's before handing it back along with a key. "Just the one night?" she asked as she glanced at Alicia's. "Oh! Alicia Law?"

"Yes?" Alicia replied, taken aback by her sudden exclamation.

"There was a parcel and a letter left here for you," the receptionist said. "I'll just go and get them for you."

"Th-Thanks," Alicia said, shooting a stunned look at Livvi.

"A parcel?" Livvi asked, looking mildly interested. "I wonder what that could be…"

"I have no idea," Alicia replied. "I can't think of anyone who would send me anything."

The receptionist returned with a fairly large cardboard box and a letter. She held it out for Alicia to take.

"Who sent this?" Alicia asked as she took the parcel and letter.

"A deliveryman dropped it off a couple of days ago," the receptionist explained. "He said to make sure that it was given only to Alicia Law, unopened and undamaged, which of course it was never going to be!" She sounded a little affronted. "Anyway, he said that you'd know what to do with it and that everything you needed would be in the letter."

"Ooh, how mysterious…" Livvi began.

There was a loud thud as the parcel hit the desk. Staring at it in horror, Alicia staggered backwards. Her eyes were suddenly darting around in a panic, as if on the lookout for danger.

"A-Alicia?" Livvi asked, looking at her in shock. She'd never seen her act like this before. What was wrong?

Before she could ask that question, Alicia had flapped her mouth, trying to find words but failing, and suddenly turned and ran from the pokémon centre.

"Alicia?!" Livvi shouted after her as she disappeared into the rain outside.

"Wh-What was that about?" the receptionist asked nervously. She looked at the package suspiciously, suddenly not wanting to touch it. "Is it something dangerous?"

"I don't know," Livvi replied blankly. Everything had happened so quickly that she didn't know how to react. Should she chase after Alicia? Should she do something with the parcel?

Hearing the automatic doors to the lobby whir open again, she immediately whipped herself around. "Alicia?"

It wasn't Alicia stood in the doorway, panting with exertion. It was that journalist from the Goldenrod Post.

"Nathan?" Livvi exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"Your friend…Alicia…she was running…" Nathan gasped. He spotted the parcel on the desk. "That's it!" He staggered over the reception desk and grabbed the parcel.

"Wh-What are you doing?" the receptionist cried. "That could be dangerous…"

Before either her or Livvi could react, Nathan had torn open the parcel. "I knew it!"

"Wh-What?" Livvi peered over his shoulder. Her heart gave an uncomfortable jolt and her throat went dry. The box was full of poké balls, each containing a small, round pokémon. There must have been at least twelve of them in there, maybe more. "Wh-What is this?" she croaked, turning to Nathan. It was almost unheard of to transport lots of pokémon in this way. Pokémon didn't need as much food or water when stored in a poké ball, but that didn't mean they could live forever in there – they had to be stored in special containers that supplemented the batteries of the balls. Plus, there was always the risk of the balls being damaged while they were being transported all in one box without being secured individually.

The only people who did this sort of thing were…

"Pokémon thieves," Nathan said, turning to look at her. "I've been investigating a series of pokémon thefts over the last couple of months. The same rare pokémon being taken in similar ways – it has all the hallmarks of an organised criminal gang."

"How long have these pokémon been in here?" the receptionist gasped.

"Longer than they should, I'll bet," Nathan replied. "Can the pokémon centre take care of them?"

"Yes, we've got plenty of space." One of the nurses, hearing the commotion, had come around from the back. She picked up one of the poké balls and released the pokémon inside.

It started crying as soon as it had materialised, looking around at the humans fearfully.

"I've never seen a pokémon like this before," Livvi murmured, pulling out her Pokédex.

" _Togepi, the spike ball pokémon. As its energy, a togepi uses the positive emotions of compassion and pleasure exuded by humans and pokémon. This pokémon stores up feelings of happiness inside its shell, then shares them with others._ "

"Togepi are a rare pokémon," Nathan said, shaking his head sadly as the nurse gently tried to comfort the crying pokémon. "They can sell for a lot on the black market, so there are always people trying to steal them."

"Wh-Why did a box of them get delivered to Alicia?" Livvi asked, feeling her stomach knot uncomfortably.

"That's what I want to know," Nathan replied. "Did she say anything before she left?"

"Nothing," Livvi replied, shaking her head. "Ah! But there was a letter that came with the parcel…"

The receptionist quickly lifted the box and they scanned the top of the desk. There was no sign of it anywhere.

"She must still have it with her," Nathan said. He turned back to the receptionist. "The Ecruteak Police Force are already investigating this, so could you give them a call and let them know what's happening?"

"Of course." The receptionist nodded as the nurse took the box from her. "I'll do it straight away."

"Alicia…" Livvi murmured, a distressed look on her face as she turned back to the door Alicia had fled through.

* * *

 _9:21pm, 25_ _th_ _May 2006_

Water jumped up around her legs as Alicia splashed through puddles on the pavement. As she'd gotten further from the pokémon centre, she'd slowed her pace, but she was still moving quickly. Every now and again, she shot a worried look over her shoulder. Fortunately, the rain and the fact that it was late meant that there were almost no other people in sight.

Reaching an alley between two old-fashioned buildings, Alicia ducked off the main street. She glanced down at the letter, checking the location with the name of the shop opposite the alley. This was the right place.

Her heart hammered hard as she started walking cautiously down the alley, her footsteps sounding over the rain falling around her. Her eyes darted from side to side, and up and down, watching for the slightest movement or the smallest indication of a presence.

However, she needn't have been so attentive.

As she got further down the alley, she spotted an older boy loitering against the wall ahead of her, his foot tapping impatiently on the ground. Her heart leapt uncomfortably as she approached him.

He spotted her and pulled himself away from the wall to spin around and face her. "Yo! It's been a while, Alicia."

"Bobby…" Alicia mumbled.

"Not 'Bobby'." The boy shook his head. "It's 'Robert', remember?"

"Same difference," Alicia murmured. She suddenly felt an unsettling feeling of dread descend on her. Glancing behind her, she almost shouted in fright as she spotted a gengar emerging creepily from the ground just behind her.

"Aw, come on, Alicia!" Robert called. "Don't tell me you're still scared of poor little Dread over there!"

Alicia was silent, scuttling over to the side of the alley as Dread sauntered past her, shooting her an intimidating grin.

"So, where's the box?" Robert asked as Dread come over and stood next to him. "I said that you'd have no trouble bringing it to me."

"I…" Alicia felt her throat go dry as she tried to form words. Her heart was pounding so hard that she couldn't focus.

"Ah, I get it!" Robert said suddenly, putting his fist into his other palm. "You're keeping it safe while we're on tonight's job. You always were a bright girl."

"Th-That's…"

"Well, it was good thinking," Robert said. His words seemed encouraging, but his tone was authoritative. "We're going to need both our hands for this. We can drop off all the goods once we've collected them." He nodded at Dread, who vanished back into the ground again.

"W-Wait!" Alicia cried, staggering forwards towards him.

"Hmm?" Robert looked back at her, his expression cold. "What? You're not going to tell me that you're chickening out, are you?" It wasn't really a question. He was daring her to try defying him.

Alicia was silent, a frown on her face. Try as she might, she couldn't get her words to form.

"Then let's get going," Robert said, turning back and starting to walk off down the alley. "It's going to be a tricky job, so I'll be counting on you." He grinned back at her. "Little Sister!"

"Yeah…" Alicia replied meekly, hurrying to catch up as Robert carried on walking. He either hadn't noticed or wasn't acknowledging the inner turmoil that was showing on Alicia's face.

* * *

 _9:46pm, 25_ _th_ _May 2006_

After a while of walking, Robert and Alicia arrived outside a large building. Almost all the lights were out, and the grounds were surrounded by a wall. The building itself looked to Alicia like someone's home, but there was a car park out front. Maybe a converted building?

"I got lucky finding out about this one," Robert said to her, grinning. "There's a whole tonne of togepi that are being cared for here – we can make a very nice profit here."

Alicia glanced at him, not sure what to do. Every part of her was screaming that she needed to stop what Robert was planning. But she couldn't force her body to move, or her mouth to speak. She knew what he was like when he was angry, and fear of that kept her from acting.

"So, here's the plan, Alicia," Robert said, turning to her. "I want you to go to the door and knock for them – pretend that you lost your pokémon and want to know if it got turned in here, or something. Get them to lead you to where they keep all the pokémon. Dread will sneak in and use Hypnosis to put them to sleep while their guard is down, then I'll come in to help you grab the togepi." He patted her very firmly on the back. "It'll be just like when we were back in Goldenrod – you'll do fine!"

Alicia stumbled forwards, propelled by the force of his push. She came to a stop and stood still, paralysed by indecision. She bit her lip as she fought internally over what to do.

"What?" Robert asked, as if finally noticing her reluctance. "You're not going to say that you can't do, are you? You did this kind of thing all the time back then – you're not still on this 'we should all be do-gooders and get along with everyone' thing, are you? Don't you remember what Dad taught us?"

"I…" Alicia took a deep breath. For a second, the only sound was the rain hitting the ground around them. "I-I can't do this! This isn't right, Bobby! We'll just end up getting caught like Dad did!"

"I told you not to call me that!" Robert said fiercely, causing Alicia to flinch. "As long as _you_ do your job right, there's no way we could get caught!"

"It's not fair!" Alicia protested. Now that she'd managed to speak back to him, suddenly she found her words coming more easily. "Selling pokémon for profit? Stealing? We don't have to do this – we're not under Dad's thumb anymore!"

"I was never under his thumb!" Robert replied, scowling at her. "If you're not brave enough to do your job, then Dread will help you out!"

"W-Wait!" Alicia cried in fear as the gengar reappeared from the ground. She immediately felt her body being seized by an unseeable power as Dread's eyes lit up with a sinister light. Her body started to feel light, as if she'd become detached from it. Her vision momentarily swayed and she tried to open her mouth once again. However, it was as if her body no longer obeyed any of the orders coming from her brain. She fought with all her might, occasionally managing to get through to her muscles, only for Dread to clamp down on her again.

"So, you know what you need to do," Robert said.

"Yes, I do," Alicia's voice replied, using words that she hadn't chosen. As Dread twitched his eyes, her body turned around and started walking towards the entrance gate to the ground of the building. She kept fighting, straining to regain control of herself, causing her walking to look awkward and forced. There were moments when she felt like she was close to breaking through Dread's Hypnosis.

Still, it was exhausting trying to escape from this kind of control. As she struggled, Alicia could feel herself growing steadily weaker and weaker. Her vision started to blur a little as her body took another step towards the gate. Was this it? Was she going to be drawn back into her old life after all? After all that effort to break free and forge her own path?

As she felt herself starting to surrender, however, she suddenly became aware of another presence nearby. A blast of energy came out of nowhere and fired past her. She heard Dread cry out in pain behind her.

Suddenly, her body was free again. Without the energy to hold herself up, Alicia felt herself pitch forwards. Instead of hitting the hard ground, she fell against something soft and felt someone close their arms around her shoulders. She vaguely became aware that there were suddenly lots of people around, but her vision faded soon afterwards, and she felt herself drift into unconsciousness.

* * *

" _Where are we going?" seven-year-old Alicia asked as she trod carefully in her older brother's footsteps._

" _This way. Stay close, Alicia," thirteen-year-old Robert replied._

 _The two of them ducked into one of the many back alleys of Goldenrod City. This was familiar territory for Alicia – she'd been coming to places like this with her brother for a couple of years now. She felt almost as at home in these confined passages as she did out in the open streets. In fact, she might even feel more at home here – it was harder to get noticed in places like this, after all._

 _Ahead of them, Robert's haunter, Dread, was hovering along and looking around. He suddenly spotted something – Alicia could tell because of the way his eyes lit up – and started floating down a nearby left turn._

 _Robert and Alicia followed him, turning left to spot someone waiting for them, lurking half-hidden by a large bin._

" _You took your damn time," the man said, stepping forwards. A ray of sunlight briefly illuminated the red 'R' on his chest. "C'mon, the job's not gonna do itself!"_

" _Hah! You're just bitter that you're not on the mission with the other grunts, Callum!" Robert grinned._

" _Better watch your mouth, runt!" Callum growled. "Your dad might be the admin's pet, but that can change in an instant!"_

" _So, what's the job?" Alicia asked, looking between the two of them._

" _Yeah, Callum!" Robert said, sneering at him. "Why don't you tell us what's going on?"_

" _Basic shakedown," Callum replied with a grunt. He glanced off down the alley. "Like anything important would get entrusted to brats like you two."_

" _And here I was getting excited," Robert sighed. He turned to Alicia. "Wanna do the same as normal?"_

" _Sure." Alicia nodded. "How many do we need to get?"_

" _The admin said that she wanted me to steal ten pokémon tonight," Callum said. "So, we're getting ten each."_

" _Always trying to get in with the admin, huh?" Robert rolled his eyes. "Well, whatever. Let's get to it, Dread."_

 _The haunter cackled maniacally as he and Robert started moving away._

" _Meet up back here once you've got everything!" Callum called after them. "And make sure that you're not followed!"_

" _I think they're more likely to follow your shouts," Alicia mumbled as she set off. Getting ten pokémon sounded like an easy job. It was slightly higher than their previous targets, but she was confident that she could handle it._

 _As she made her way back towards the main street, she spotted her first mark: a couple of teenage boys loitering about at the entrance to the alley. Pulling back into the shadows, she focused herself and held her eyes open for a few seconds to generate tears._

 _The two boys looked around as she stumbled out of the shadows, her eyes streaked with tears and wailing loudly._

" _A-Are you okay?" one of them asked, walking towards her._

" _My mummy!" Alicia wailed pathetically. "I lost my mummy!"_

" _H-Hey, don't worry," the boy said awkwardly. "Don't cry!" He looked back at his friend helplessly._

" _Do you remember where you last saw her?" he said with a sigh._

" _I-I think I was in the market district…" Alicia sniffed. Peeking through her puffy eyelids, she quickly scanned the two of them. Three poké balls on one – all attached to his belt. His friend had four, though he may have slipped another into his pocket just before she got close. The first one would be the easier target._

" _We'll help you look at her," the target said. "Come on." He gently took her hand and guided her towards the open street._

" _Thank you," Alicia replied, trying to sound as timid as she could. Her eyes darted between the poké balls on his waist, scarcely a foot away from her, and the street now surrounding her. Getting the target to lower his guard was the first step, but she'd need to work out how easy it would be to unhook one of his poké balls and then make a quick escape before he realised something was wrong._

 _Fortunately, the market district was crowded. As they got closer, they suddenly found themselves being pressed in by the crowd._

" _Stick close to me, okay," the target told her. "Let me know if you see your mum."_

" _Yeah." Alicia nodded. "Ah!" Taking advantage of another person passing by her, she lurched towards the target and stuck closer to him. His poké balls were right in front of her. It looked like a standard clip holding them onto the belt – he was probably one of those trainers who thought that he'd notice and be able to stop any attempt at theft. Or maybe he'd just never thought about the possibility?_

 _It didn't matter to Alicia._

 _She knew how these clips worked. She'd be able to slide the poké ball free from the belt in a single movement, probably without even needing to shake the belt at all. In fact, if she was quick, she might be able to snatch all three of the balls. Tempting as it was though, she decided to just aim for the closest one. He was a kind person – she could respect that._

 _That just left her escape. She knew that there was a pretty narrow alley full of bins that would hide her from sight just a bit further to the left. If the crowd kept together, then she'd have the perfect opportunity._

 _Tensing herself up slightly, she slowly raised her hand, ready to grab the poké ball. As she spotted the alley, she moved her hand up. She quickly lifted the top and bottom clips with her thumb and middle finger and felt the ball fall against her palm._

 _The target's grip on her other hand had been her only other worry, but he was holding it pretty gently. He was distracted as he looked around, trying to search for the mother of the 'lost child'. Alicia gently wriggled her hand, slipping it slightly out of his grip slowly and carefully. If she suddenly pulled away, then he might tighten his grip. It was vital that she was able to rip her hand completely free before he'd even realised what was happening._

 _A convenient push from the passing crowd gave her the chance she needed._

 _She jerked her hand out of the target's grip, her other hand closing around the poké ball she'd taken from his belt. She immediately plunged into the crowd, only just catching the sound of his startled cry as he realised she was gone._

 _A second later, she was in the alley, pulling herself behind one of the bins and then running deeper into the labyrinth. Everything had gone as smooth as she'd hoped. Theoretically, she could have just stalked someone through the crowd and done the same thing, but her older brother had always told her that she should take advantage of the fact that she was a cute girl. Besides, the fact that the target had been holding her hand made her presence look far less suspicious to anyone passing by._

 _Tucking the poké ball into her skirt pocket, she set off back through the back alleys._

 _It didn't take long to find another nine targets – she'd become good at what she did. Her pockets rattled slightly as the poké balls bumped into each other. She had spread them out to make sure that it wasn't obvious that her pockets were full. Still, her success filled her with a sense of pride. She couldn't wait to show her brother what she'd managed to get!_

 _Heading back to the meeting point, she found that he was already there waiting for her._

" _How did it go, Little Sis?" he asked as she approached him._

" _Here!" she said eagerly as she fished the ten poké balls out of her pockets. She dropped them into Robert's bag._

" _Great work!" Robert grinned. He reached out and ruffled her hair. "I knew I could count on you!"_

" _Eheheh!" Alicia giggled happily. "It was nothing!"_

" _If we keep this up, we're going to rise through the ranks quickly!" Robert said eagerly. "Who knows, maybe one day I'll even take the boss's place!"_

" _You'd be a great boss!" Alicia agreed, nodding._

" _And you could be one of the admins!" Robert grinned, patting her on the head._

" _Really?" Alicia asked, staring at him with wide-eyed wonder._

" _You bet!" Robert nodded. "We could go all the way to the top together, and then…" He paused for a second. "…I'm sure Dad would be proud of us then…"_

* * *

Alicia awoke to a stinging pain in her head. She squinted as she started to register the light in the room. As she started to regain her awareness, she felt an ache that was spread across her whole body. She felt a little sick as well. Her body was weak, like all her muscles had been strained to their limit.

The usual aftereffects of being possessed by a ghost-type pokémon.

She felt like she'd been remembering something from long ago before she woke up, so vividly that she could only blink in confusion as she tried to get her bearings and register what was real and what wasn't.

Fighting through the ache in her body, she managed to pull herself up into a sitting position and looked around. This was…the room in the pokémon centre, maybe? She was on the lower bunk in a room that seemed quite familiar. Now that she'd shaken off the images of her dream a bit, she was starting to remember. She'd met with Robert again and he'd tried to get her involved in a theft. But then…everything was hazy.

She cast her gaze around and suddenly spotted Livvi, who was sat by the side of her bed but had her head on the side of the mattress, dozing peacefully.

Alicia felt a small panic seize her – how was she going to explain all of this to Livvi? What if she didn't want to have anything to do with her once she found out about who she really was? She'd spent so long running from her past, but it had still caught up with her, ready to ruin her life a second time…

Just as she grappled with what to do, however, Livvi suddenly stirred and then jerked awake. She looked around blearily before looking at Alicia. "You're awake?" she half-said and half-asked in a confused tone as she woke up herself.

Alicia looked back at her nervously for a second, her heart hammering in her chest. Then she turned to look at the wall instead. Her throat felt unbearably dry as she croaked, "I…"

She heard Livvi move slightly and then felt her put her arms around her.

"I'm so glad you're okay," she said. "When you suddenly took off, I didn't know what to do."

"I…" Alicia blinked back tears as she lent her head against Livvi's shoulder. "Sorry…"

"It's okay." Livvi patted the back of her head.

They stayed like that for a while before Alicia finally pulled herself back. "There's something I have to tell you," she said, looking at Livvi nervously, but seriously.

"I'm listening," Livvi replied gently.

Alicia took a deep breath. "The truth is that…my family isn't an ordinary family. My dad is – was – a member of Team Rocket." She paused to wait for Livvi's reaction. However, the other girl remained silent, so she continued. "My dad was always tough on us, both me and my big brother. My brother always looked up to him – wanted to be just like him. He's been involved in street crime for as long as I can remember."

"Your brother is…" Livvi paused for a second. "…The boy you were with earlier, right?"

"Yeah." Alicia nodded. She sighed. "My dad seemed to always be away from home, travelling around on operations for Team Rocket. Really, I almost never saw him, and if I did, then he was always cold to me. My brother ended up becoming my role model – I looked up to him and idolised him. He wasn't always nice. He stole my toys sometimes and was rude to me every now and again, but he was still there…" Alicia sighed a second time as she thought back. "When I was five, he took me out with him when he was doing a job for Team Rocket. They wanted to break into a pokémon centre and steal the pokémon inside, but the only unguarded route in was a small vent. I was small enough to get through it…"

Thinking back, it should be a unpleasant memory. She could still vividly recall the tightness of the vent, and the darkness. It had been hot, uncomfortable, and she'd been scared every moment that she'd been in there.

Yet it wasn't an unpleasant memory.

"When I got back, my brother praised me. He told me that I'd done really well, and that he was proud of me. It made me happy." A sad smile tugged at her lips. "Silly, isn't it? Getting so happy over such a small thing. Especially after what I'd done."

"What happened after that?" Livvi asked.

"I started tagging along with my brother more often," Alicia replied. "I was always following in his footsteps. He taught me how to pickpocket, how to trick people into letting their guard down, everything. I was…" Alicia frowned. "I'd become a thief. A criminal."

Saying it out loud hurt much more than she'd been expecting. It was as if she could truly appreciate the sheer weight of the word and everything it meant.

"But when I was eight, my dad was arrested during a failed operation," she said, unable to bear the continuing silence. "It was an important job – Team Rocket had been hired to steal some prototype computer system that was being publicly revealed in Saffron City in Kanto. I didn't really understand it at the time. But he was stopped by a pokémon trainer and ended up in prison. He's still there now, thanks to the fact he was a member of Team Rocket."

"Do you…miss him?" Livvi asked awkwardly.

"I don't know," Alicia replied. "But his arrest really brought home to me exactly what we were doing. My brother and I fell out of favour with the rest of Team Rocket because Dad had gotten caught and we were constantly being pushed around by all the grunts. My brother hated that and started taking it out on me. He was determined to keep going and 'redeem' his honour, but I was getting more and more scared of what we were doing."

"When did you stop?" Livvi asked cautiously.

"When I was nine," Alicia said, glancing over at the wall as she thought. "I messed up a tricky job and we almost got caught. After that, I decided I'd had enough. I didn't want to be living in fear anymore. My brother didn't take it well. He said that I was weak and that he wanted nothing to do with me. He ended up getting into a big fight with my mum and stormed out. Before today, that was the last time I saw him…" Alicia fell silent for a couple of seconds. "Actually, that's not right – there was one other time. I was walking back from school one day when his gengar attacked me and took me to him. I don't remember much else, other that walking up at night in the woods and having to find my way home."

"Alicia…" Livvi looked at her sadly, unsure exactly what she could say.

"That was about six months ago, I think," Alicia continued. "After that, I decided that I wanted to become a pokémon trainer so that I could fight him if he came for me again…and so I could stop him if he was still committing crimes." A hollow laugh escaped her lips. "But I guess you know how that turned out." She turned back to Livvi, a tortured look on her face. "I'm sorry…sorry that I lied to you, sorry that I didn't tell you any of this before, and sorry that you ended up getting dragged into my problems!" Tears welled up in her eyes. "You probably don't want to travel with me anymore after all this…"

Instead of responding, Livvi simply leant forwards and hugged her again. "That's not the kind of thing anyone would expect you to tell them as soon as you met. And I wouldn't turn around and leave you now, so don't talk about us going our separate ways, okay?"

"Yeah…" Alicia managed before the tears started running down her face.

"But, I have to ask," Livvi said hesitantly. "Why did you run when you figured out who that parcel was from?"

"I panicked," Alicia replied sadly. "I was scared – scared that everything I'd worked for since then would come crashing down."

"And when you went to your brother?"

"I guess…" Alicia paused, frowning as she tried to make sense of her own decision. "…I guess I wanted to stop him. Even if he was doing everything himself, I still felt responsible for what he was doing. I wanted to stop him, but I didn't feel like I could go to anyone else. It was kind of like it was my duty to stop him myself, since I'm his sister."

"Don't worry," Livvi said, patting her on the head. "I probably would have done the same if I'd been in your place. You don't get to choose your siblings. Sometimes, they can be really horrible, but you still have this bond that you can never break."

"Yeah." Alicia nodded.

"Well, you get some more rest," Livvi said. "I get the feeling that it's going to be a long day for both of us tomorrow."

* * *

 _10:59pm, 25_ _th_ _May 2006_

"How is she?" Nathan asked as Livvi stepped into the trainers' lounge.

"Better," Livvi replied. "She was still exhausted though, so I told her to get some sleep."

"Well, it'll be a busy day for her tomorrow, after all," Nathan sighed. "Witness statements and all that."

"Will Alicia get into trouble?" Livvi asked anxiously. "The parcel was still sent to her after all…"

"I doubt it," Nathan said. "You and the receptionist can vouch for her – you said that she immediately dropped the parcel when she learned who it was from and ran away. If she'd been in on this, then she wouldn't have panicked. Besides, we all saw that she was being controlled by that gengar when we got to the scene."

"That's a relief," Livvi said, smiling. "She's had a hard-enough day."

"Still, to think that Anthony Law's kids would cause such a stir," Nathan sighed. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised really."

"Is that Alicia's dad?" Livvi asked as she sat down next to him.

"Yeah." Nathan nodded. "One of the most feared Team Rocket grunts in Goldenrod City – even now, people will quake in fear if you mention his name!" He chuckled. "Still, maybe that's why he got too big for his boots."

"When he was arrested?" Livvi asked.

"That's right!" Nathan grinned. "He tried to steal the prototype of the Pokémon Transfer System, of all things."

"Wait, _the_ Pokémon Transfer System?" Livvi exclaimed. "The same one that Bill made?"

"Oh yeah." Nathan nodded. "It was one of Bill's friends who stopped him – for some reason, Tony Law decided he only needed one pokémon with him and got crushed!"

"I never knew that…" Livvi murmured.

"I happened to be in Saffron at the time to cover the unveiling," Nathan said. "The editor rejected my recommended headline though – 'Team Rocket Now Lawless After Arrest'!"

"I can understand why," Livvi sighed. "So, did you know who Alicia was when you first met her?"

"No, I didn't." Nathan shook his head. "I knew that Tony Law had a wife and two kids, but they moved out of Goldenrod not long afterwards – no clue where they ended up. I could just tell that she was hiding something. I guess I might have been overestimating the risk a bit, but you know…"

"And what about her brother?" Livvi glanced out of the window nervously. "He got away before the police could grab him…"

"Yeah," Nathan said darkly. He turned to her. "They'll keep trying to hunt him down, but you and Alicia should be careful. You never know when he might come back."

"That's what worries me," Livvi said, frowning. "I have to keep Alicia safe from him."

"Well, you'll be safe for a little while at least," said Nathan. "The police aren't done with you yet, so you'll probably still be here in Ecruteak for a few days."

"I just hope that that helps them catch Alicia's brother," Livvi sighed.

"Oh yeah, some good news for you as well." Nathan stood up. "They found a woman in New Bark Town who's prepared to take in the stolen togepi. They should be safe once they're down there."

"Oh, that's a relief," said Livvi, smiling at him. "I was worried when you told me that the police couldn't trace some of their owners."

"Anyway, I guess I'd better head up and start my report," Nathan said. "Why don't you head up and get some sleep – you've got a lot of police paperwork to complete tomorrow!"

"Can't wait," Livvi sighed. Still, she couldn't complain. The evening's events could have gone so much worse than they had. She smiled as she started walking back towards the staircase. She felt like the gap between her and Alicia had vanished as well – like they'd truly connected for the first time. It was as if she had met the real Alicia, and that made her feel warm inside. Whatever the future held for them, they'd be able to face it together.

* * *

 **Have I mentioned before that Alicia is probably the most deeply-developed character I've ever written up to this point? Well, now you know – in several senses.**

 **So, this is kind of the culmination of Alicia's personal back story in a way, though obviously the journey must go on. I've really enjoyed dropping hints about her in past chapters and I hope that the whole back story meets the expectations I've built up over the last year. I hope that, if you ever reread the earlier chapters, you'll be able to see what was behind Alicia's actions and thoughts earlier in the journey.**

 **Not much for Livvi this chapter – just playing support to some very heavy Alicia focus. I'll be sure to give her a chance to get back in the spotlight in the future. In the meantime, both of them still have gym badges they need to win and a league to (hopefully) get to.**

 **As ever, I appreciate any feedback you have on this chapter and don't forget to leave a like on the Facebook page.**

 **Until next time!**

* * *

 **Team Listings:**

 **Livvi Weston:**

 **Active:**

 **Barru** (Ivysaur): male, timid, highly persistent, likes sweet food, grass-poison type, Overgrow ability, knows Double-Edge, Sludge Bomb, Solar Beam and Leech Seed.

 **Evoro** (Jolteon): male, jolly, alert to sounds, likes sweet food, electric type, Volt Absorb ability, knows Thunderbolt, Double Team, Double Kick and Quick Attack.

 **Tavro** (Hypno): male, quirky, loves to eat, eats anything, psychic type, Forewarn ability, knows Psychic, Hypnosis, Future Sight and Headbutt.

 **Litine** (Azumarill): female, mild, good endurance, likes dry food, water type, Thick Fat ability, knows Double-Edge, Rain Dance, Hydro Pump and Rollout.

 **Dacino** (Cyndaquil): male, adamant, loves to eat, likes spicy food, fire type, Blaze ability, knows Flamethrower, Swift, Flame Wheel and Smokescreen.

 **Ferru** (Teddiursa): male, hardy, loves to eat, eats anything, normal type, Pickup ability, knows Feint Attack, Slash, Thrash and Fake Tears.

 **In Viridian City:**

 **Dorru** (Nidorina): female, quiet, mischievous, likes dry food, poison type, Rivalry ability, knows Fury Swipes, Double Kick, Poison Sting and Crunch.

 **Salea** (Blissey): female, gentle, somewhat vain, likes bitter food, normal type, Natural Cure ability, knows Softboiled, Psychic, Double-Edge and Egg Bomb.

 **Cylune** (Venomoth): male, modest, proud of its power, likes dry food, poison-bug type, Shield Dust ability, knows Stun Spore, Psychic, Toxic and Silver Wind.

 **Alicia Law:**

 **Active:**

 **Ruo** (Bayleef): male, naughty, often dozes off, likes spicy food, grass type, Overgrow ability, knows Body Slam, Synthesis, Razor Leaf and Safeguard.

 **Pari** (Dunsparce): male, quirky, likes to thrash about, eats anything, normal type, Serene Grace ability, knows Rollout, Screech, Double-Edge and Dig.

 **Saffa** (Magikarp): female, rash, often lost in thought, likes dry food, water type, Swift Swim ability, knows Splash and Tackle.

 **Balva** (Magcargo): male, hasty, a little quick tempered, likes sweet food, fire type, Flame Body ability, knows Protect, Rock Slide, Flamethrower and Body Slam.


	20. Icy Reception (Part 1)

**Hello and welcome to another chapter of** _ **Pokémon Journey: Livvi's Johto Scrapbook**_ **!**

 **Last chapter, Alicia's past caught up with her and she was almost forced into helping her fugitive older brother kidnap pokémon. Despite learning about her past connections with Team Rocket, Livvi reaffirmed their friendship. Their journey continues…**

 **Upload Date: 29** **th** **August 2018**

* * *

 **Chapter 20: Icy Reception (Part 1)**

 _Route 42, Johto_

 _3:04pm, 31_ _st_ _May 2006_

It already felt like the events that had occurred in Ecruteak City had happened a long time ago, yet it had been less than two weeks ago. With all the fuss of giving witness statements, the worry over exactly where Alicia's older brother was, and a general weariness after dealing the with everything else, it felt as though months had passed instead.

Aside from the fact that Robert was still at large, Livvi and Alicia had also been delayed leaving Ecruteak by a sudden phone call from Alicia's mum insisting that she see them. Well, Alicia really, but Livvi had been dragged along as well. She hadn't really known what to expect, especially after Alicia had told her that her mum was coming, but she hadn't needed to worry about anything.

Alicia's mum seemed fussy but had clearly been someone who deeply cared about her daughter. Livvi thought that both she and Alicia's mum had spent most of the meeting discreetly assessing one another, as if to check their suitability to be connected with Alicia. For obvious reasons, Alicia's mum had been concerned about her continuing to travel, but Livvi and Alicia had both managed to convince her otherwise. The meeting had ended warmly, with her telling Livvi to call her 'Marion'.

After that, they'd finally been able to set off for Mahogany Town, deep in the interior of the Johto region. That journey had gone on for even more days as they struggled to cross the formidable Mt. Mortar. It hadn't been an easy journey, especially as they were continually on the lookout for any sign of Robert.

But now, they were finally almost there!

The final stretch of rough hills that stood between the girls and the secluded town of Mahogany – a tough obstacle, but far better than what they'd already faced. In fact, the main issue was more…

"Use Razor Leaf!" Alicia shouted.

"Block it and use Rollout!" David, another travelling trainer who the girls had run into, called out to his graveler.

Ruo stood his ground and fired a cluster of leaves towards the graveler, who ploughed straight through and smashed into him. As the two pokémon tumbled back, however, Ruo was able to pull himself around and fire another cluster of leaves.

"Whoa!" Livvi gasped as the graveler was struck by the powerful blast. "Ruo's really getting quite strong."

"Use Rock Blast, Rocky!" David called.

Staggering back to his feet, Rocky hurled a volley of rocks towards Ruo. The bayleef darted to the side, only being struck by the last two. He grimaced as he stumbled on landing.

"Razor Leaf!" Alicia shouted again.

Ruo swung his head and fired a cluster of leaves towards Rocky, striking him directly. The graveler cried in pain as he tumbled backwards and crashed to the ground heavily.

"R-Rocky is unable to battle!" Livvi called. "Ruo is the winner!"

"Argh! Looks like we lost!" David cried in frustration. "I guess we've still got a lot of training to do."

"You did great out there, Ruo," Alicia said, happily patting Ruo on the head.

Ruo grunted at her in response. There was a sudden flash and a bright light appeared, engulfing Ruo and making it hard to look at him directly.

"He's evolving!" Livvi exclaimed, running over to get a better look.

"You don't see that every day," said David.

"Wow! Congratulations, Ruo!" Alicia exclaimed as the light burst.

Now much bigger and, once again, green, Ruo let out a loud call. He shook the pink flower petals that formed a ring around his neck.

"Well, I guess getting to see this was a bit of a consolation for losing," David sighed. "Guess I'll see you two around."

"Thanks for the battle," Livvi said, thanking him on Alicia's behalf. The younger girl was far too preoccupied with her newly-evolved pokémon.

"Let's see what the Pokédex says about you!" she called eagerly, pulling out her Pokédex.

" _Meganium, the herb pokémon and the evolved form of bayleef. The fragrance of a meganium's flower soothes and calms emotions. In battle, this pokémon gives off more of its becalming scent to blunt the foe's fighting spirit. A meganium's breath has the power to revive dead grass and plants._ "

"I'm really happy for both of you," Livvi said, smiling at both of them.

"Thanks, Livvi," Alicia replied, smiling back. Ruo called out cheerfully as well, though he looked pretty shattered after evolving.

"I guess we should get moving ourselves," said Livvi glancing over at David as he walked away in the direction of Ecruteak City. "We're almost at Mahogany Town now."

"I'm ready when you are," Alicia replied, recalling Ruo to his poké ball. "I can't wait to challenge that gym now!"

* * *

 _Mahogany Town, Johto_

 _3:38pm, 31_ _st_ _May 2006_

The 'ninja town' was what Livvi's town map had described Mahogany Town. She could kind of understand where that came from based on what she could see. The town wasn't particularly big, but its buildings had a great sense of presence. Everything looked slightly foreboding. Livvi got the feeling that it would be even more intimidating when evening came.

That said, it didn't feel like a bad place. The town was secluded, nestled in a small valley on the road to the mountains to the east, and it gave off a somewhat relaxed vibe. This wasn't a place that was trying to stand out or draw attention to itself. Perhaps that was where the description of 'ninja town' had come from?

"So, I guess we should head to the pokémon centre first, huh?" Alicia sighed. "I don't think there'll be many people staying there though."

"You're probably right," Livvi replied. "But I don't really want to risk it."

The pokémon centre wasn't difficult to find and they quickly walked inside.

"Can we get a room for the night?" Livvi asked as she approached the receptionist.

"That's fine. May I see your trainer card?"

As Livvi handed her trainer card over to the receptionist, Alicia glanced around and then turned her attention to the main entrance. She'd been redoubling her already-thorough checks to keep an eye out for any sign of danger. There was never really a chance to relax.

"Alicia?"

Alicia looked around to find Livvi walking back over to her.

"Do you want to head over to the gym and book slots for gym battles?" she asked. "Now that we've got a room, it seems like a waste if we don't block slots before the gym closes."

"Yeah, that sounds good!" Alicia nodded. "Let's get moving."

The two of them set off back into the streets of Mahogany Town. It was somewhat unsettling being out in the open. It meant that there were far more places that Alicia needed to be aware of and keep and eye out for.

Fortunately, the gym wasn't too far away and was quite an easy building to see. However, it was the interior that really grabbed their attention.

"I-I-It's freezing!" Livvi exclaimed, shivering as the cold air inside the lobby bit into her.

"Y-Yeah!" Alicia nodded, drawing closer to her for warmth.

"A-Ah, w-w-welcome!" The receptionist looked as cold as they were. He greeted them with a shaky smile as he continued shivering. "C-C-Can I help you?"

"G-G-Gym battles," Livvi replied. The further she stepped into the lobby, the colder it seemed to get. It was insane!

"G-Got it!" The receptionist nodded. "T-T-Trainer cards?"

Alicia and Livvi quickly turned over their trainer cards so that the receptionist could scan them.

"Th-Thanks!" He passed them back. "Th-The next slot is at twelve o'clock t-tomorrow."

"I-I'll take that one then!" Alicia nodded quickly. She could see her breath in front of her face.

"A-And is 12:15 o-okay for you?"

"Th-That's fine!" Livvi replied, shivering as the cold bit into her.

"E-Excellent! C-Come back here tomorrow then!"

They left quickly, breathing a sigh of relief as they stepped back out into the warm, May afternoon. Even though the sun was hidden behind the grey clouds overhead, they could still feel its warmth coming through.

"An ice-type gym then," Livvi said, sighing.

"Yeah." Alicia nodded. There was no denying that – only ice types would be at home in cold conditions like that.

"We're going to need to make sure we're all wrapped up tomorrow," Livvi said. "We'll be in there for at least half-an-hour – we'll catch colds if we're not careful!"

"We might freeze to death…" Alicia mumbled. "How can they survive being in that gym _all day_?"

"Who knows?" Livvi shrugged. "Anyway, at least we know what we're going to be up against. Ice types are weak to fire-type pokémon, so we should get to work training Balva and Dacino."

"Sure!" Alicia nodded. She let out a sigh. "I guess I'll have to wait before I get a chance to use Ruo in a gym battle again."

"These things happen sometimes," Livvi replied, smiling at her. "But if it's a three-on-three battle, then you might have no choice."

"Oh yeah." Alicia frowned. "Well, I guess we'll just have to do our best and see what happens."

"It should be fine as long as our fire types are up to it," said Livvi. "Come on – we don't actually have that much time."

* * *

 _11:58am, 1_ _st_ _June 2006_

The two girls arrived back at the Mahogany gym to find that it was just as cold as the previous day. Speaking through chattering teeth, they checked in with the receptionist and loitered over by the entrance to the arena until it was time. They occasionally shuffled around to try and keep themselves warm. Even with all of the winter clothes that Livvi had got her parents to send her through via PC transfer, they could still feel it cutting into them.

Still, they were feeling much more confident about their chances of victory now – all that training yesterday evening and earlier this morning had really got Balva and Dacino pumped up for a battle. The rest of the pokémon were eager as well. They were certainly going to be putting up a good fight.

"Good luck then, Alicia," said Livvi, turning to her as the clock ticked over to twelve. "I'll be cheering for you."

"Thanks, Livvi." Alicia smiled at her before turning and stepping through into the passage leading down to the arena.

Livvi watched her go for a couple of seconds before turning and starting to walk up the stairs to the stands. In a way, she was surprised that both of them could still focus on their gym battles after everything that had happened back in Ecruteak. Alicia's story and the fact that Robert was still out there somewhere meant that the journey felt very different now compared to before.

Perhaps it was all the more reason to throw themselves into their training. Nothing could change what had happened and there was no way for them to know where Robert was, or how to stop him. The league, or rather the remaining gyms, kept them distracted. It would continue forcing them to get stronger as well.

* * *

Down in the arena, Alicia continued shivering as she stepped out onto the icy and snow-covered battlefield. There was no doubt left in her mind – this was an ice-type gym.

As she stepped forwards, she suddenly felt her foot slide away from her. With a yelp, she managed to steady herself and cautiously shuffled forwards until she reached the challenger's corner.

Across from her, there was an old man stood in the gym leader's corner. He studied her with a methodical gaze, nothing escaping his attention: her body language, her demeanour, the uneasy expression on her face. This was someone who had trained pokémon for a long time and could tell a lot about a trainer just by looking at them.

"I welcome you to the Mahogany gym, Alicia Law!" he called out. "My name is Pryce – I am the gym leader here."

"P-Pleased to meet you!" Alicia called back, teeth chattering.

"I look forwards to seeing what you and your pokémon can accomplish together!" Pryce called. "Though I must tell you that I have no intention of holding back!"

"This is an official Johto League gym battle between the Mahogany Town gym leader, Pryce, and the challenger, Alicia Law from Cherrygrove City!" the referee announced. "This battle will be fought using a three-on-three single format and will be over when all of one side's pokémon are unable to battle! In addition, only the challenger is allowed to substitute pokémon! Begin!"

Both Alicia and Pryce threw out their first poké balls.

Balva cried out as he burst from the ball and landed on the icy ground. There was a hissing sound as his hot magma body met the frozen ground below. Steam rose around him after a couple of seconds.

Turning her attention away from this, Alicia's heart sank as she spotted their opponent – a seel. No only were seel water-type pokémon, the thick fat on their bodies helped protect them against fire-type attacks. This wasn't a good start.

"Use Hail!" Pryce called.

With a cry, Seel summoned a pale grey cloud that hung below the ceiling. Suddenly, hailstones and snow started pelting down, striking the alarmed Balva in a heavy flurry.

"Rock Slide!" Alicia shouted.

Balva reacted quickly and fired a tumbling mass of rocks and debris towards Seel. There was a crash as the attack hit, but Seel was able to pull himself free pretty quickly. The two pokémon quickly started exchanging attacks as fast as they could, with Seel skirmishing around Balva with a series of blasts of icy wind to add to the hail already pummelling him from above. Balva shot back with heavier attacks, great arcs of flames and black smoke that lit up the battlefield but rarely seemed to hit the evasive Seel, who was sliding around on the ice so seamlessly that it was as if he were swimming in water.

It was a great relief to Alicia that Seel didn't seem to be using any water-type attacks, but she still knew that he was slowly whittling Balva down. If she could just get him to stop moving around as much…

An idea came to her! "Use Rock Slide! As wide as you can!"

Balva nodded, sending a pile of boulders tumbling in all directions. Though Seel nimbly dodged them, the boulders smashed to the ground and settled there.

"Oh? That was a good move." Livvi nodded approvingly as she looked down at the scene. There wasn't a clear arena for Seel to slide across anymore.

Unfortunately, Seel didn't seem all that fazed by the move and kept on sliding agilely between the boulders as seamlessly as if they weren't there.

"Again!" Alicia shouted.

Balva fired out another cluster of rocks, sending up a cloud of dust. Some of the passages were now sealed – it was slowly working.

As Seel reappeared, he fired another blast of frozen air towards Balva. This time, the magcargo was prepared though and tucked himself into his shell to protect himself. There was little point in him attempting to dodge – the melting ice had caused the bottom of his body to harden into rock.

At Alicia's command, he fired a blast of flames towards Seel, who tried to duck out of the way but found his way blocked by rock. As he desperately tried to haul himself over as fast as he could, Balva fired another cluster of boulders. Scoring a direct hit, he watched as his opponent was thrown back and landed with a crash.

"Seel is unable to battle!" the referee announced. "Magcargo is the winner!"

"Great work, Balva!" Alicia called enthusiastically.

"An excellent display," Pryce said as he recalled Seel to his poké ball. "However, I'm far from beaten."

The same could be said for Balva, though the continuing hail was still pummelling his rocky shell, occasionally causing parts to crumble away. Though Seel hadn't been able to deal a decisive blow, he had succeeded in sapping the magcargo's energy. Still, he was raring to go and Alicia was sure that the next matchup would be better.

"Go, Dewgong!"

Alicia groaned. Just what she needed – the evolved form of seel! Still, Dewgong was partly an ice type and that at least would make Balva's attacks hit a little bit harder.

And Balva did manage to put up quite a fight. He blocked Dewgong's first attack and scored a powerful counter-blow using a cascade of boulders. A well-placed Flamethrower kept Dewgong at bay for a time and Alicia was convinced that they'd managed to give him a nasty burn.

Still, Balva was getting worn down. He glanced around jumpily as he waited for Dewgong's next move. His opponent had taken to hiding among the scattered rocks and boulders, which by this point seemed to cover more of the arena than the ice did. He would occasionally pop his head out to fire a rainbow-coloured beam at him. It was getting exhausting and stressful.

Alicia was quickly realising it as well. It was time for a change. "Balva, return!"

As Balva returned to his poké ball, Alicia pulled out her next one and threw it out. There was a pop as a ball of energy burst out and reshaped itself on the ground into the magnificent shape of her newly-evolved meganium.

"Using Ruo, huh?" Livvi mused. It wasn't a bad idea, but still a risky one. Dewgong had been weakened slightly in his battle with Balva, but still had the advantage of all those rocks to hide amongst.

However, Alicia and Ruo quickly showed that this wasn't going to be a copy of the previous round. As soon as he'd materialised, he jumped forwards and charged across the pile of broken boulders. With a loud cry, he hurled himself towards Dewgong and slammed into him as hard as he could.

"Razor Leaf!" Alicia called.

With a nod, Ruo swung his head and sent a cloud of leaves flying at Dewgong. Scoring a direct hit, the meganium kept up his momentum by leaping forwards for another powerful body slam. Still reeling from the painful leaves, it was all Dewgong could do to pull himself back. Ruo still smashed into him, but also slammed painfully into one of the rocks. He winced in pain as he tried to pull himself back up. A difficult task on the uneven rocks.

Despite his injuries, Dewgong was ready to take advantage of Ruo's sudden exposure. A rainbow-coloured beam shot forwards, smashing into Ruo and sending him flying back. He landed awkwardly and cried out in pain.

However, he quickly managed to pull himself back to his feet and got ready as he spotted Dewgong bouncing up for another attack. As Ruo shouted out defiantly, the flower around his neck suddenly started to glow, as if absorbing the light around him. Dewgong fired another Aurora Beam, scoring a hit despite Ruo's attempts to pull back out of the way. He was still on his feet though and suddenly emitted a flash of light from his flower.

There was silence for a second. Ruo looked disappointed – clearly, he'd been hoping for something more impressive. Dewgong simply watched, bemused as the glow disappeared from Ruo's flower.

"Was he trying to use Solar Beam?" Livvi murmured, frowning. She knew from experience that Solar Beam was a complicated and time-consuming attack to learn – not something that Ruo could just hurl out on a whim.

Alicia recovered quickly from the disappointing spectacle and ordered Ruo forwards. He quickly charged and slammed into Dewgong with a powerful blow, causing him to tumble backwards. Exhausted after all the fighting, the water-ice type finally slumped to the ground.

"Dewgong is unable to battle!" the referee announced. "Meganium is the winner!"

"So, it's come to this, eh?" Pryce grinned as he recalled Dewgong to his poké ball.

"Get ready, Ruo," Alicia said nervously. She could sense that the final round wasn't going to be as easy as the others.

"Go, Piloswine!" Pryce called, throwing out his final poké ball.

There was a loud grunt as Piloswine materialised on the battlefield. He shook his head to get his long fringe out of his eyes and looked over at Ruo. He looked decidedly unthreatening, but Alicia had far too much experience of using that to her advantage to be fooled.

"Use that move from earlier!" she called to Ruo. It was a gamble, she knew that, but it seemed like her best bet to deal as much damage as possible.

Ruo duly started charging up for another Solar Beam, focusing all his concentration on building and maintaining the energy. It was going to take a lot to successfully pull this move off. If he could, though, then he was confident that he could send Piloswine packing in no time at all.

But of course, Piloswine wasn't content to just sit around and wait for him to attack. As Ruo charged up light, he opened his mouth and fired out a tremendous blast of cold air. Snow and ice whipped around the arena, pelting everyone and everything. Incredibly, it felt as though the temperature plummeted even further in the already-frozen room.

Ruo was badly hit. The ice froze parts of his body and his flower started wilting. He held on as best as he could, covered in ice and shivering violently. He could barely move, but he managed to angle himself to that his flower, still glowing with all the light he was drawing in, was aimed directly at Piloswine. Gritting his teeth, he released the energy.

This time, a beam seemed to briefly form before fizzling out again.

"No way!" Alicia gasped, her blood running as cold as the ice around her.

"Blizzard." With that one word, Pryce sealed Ruo's fate.

Piloswine summoned another howling blizzard that swirled around the room, scattering snow and ice and pummelling Ruo with high winds. Unable to withstand the pressure, the meganium finally toppled backwards and crashed to the ground.

"M-Meganium is unable to battle!" the referee shouted through chattering teeth. "Piloswine is the w-winner!"

Alicia recalled Ruo to his poké ball, smiling sadly at it. She'd been set on keeping him out here since it seemed like Piloswine wasn't just ice-type. The brown colour of his fur made her think that he might have been a ground type as well. In any case, it was down to her two remaining pokémon now.

Gritting her teeth and shivering as the cold of Piloswine's previous attack continued biting into her, she pulled out her next poké ball. "Go, Pari!"

Pari called out as he materialised on the arena floor. He immediately started bouncing as the freezing floor seeped into his underbelly.

"Rollout!" Alicia called.

Pari didn't waste any time and immediately plunged forwards towards Piloswine, picking up speed as he continued rolling. There was a crash as he slammed into him, forcing the larger pokémon to take a step back. The impact hadn't been as damaging as Alicia had hoped, though.

As Piloswine stepped forwards again, there was another cold wave in the air. With a shout, he summoned up another powerful blizzard, sending out so much snow that Alicia was sure that there must be more here than at the summit of Mt. Silver!

Pari reacted quickly and slammed his tail into the ground. Drilling into the ice, he vanished from sight for a short while. However, he was only truly hidden when he passed under boulders – ice wasn't as opaque as he'd have hoped.

In any case, the fact that Pari was still visible didn't make much difference to Piloswine. He simply stamped his large feet, sending a shockwave rippling across the arena. There was a crash as Pari was thrown up through the ice and flew into the air with the force of the earthquake.

"Pari!" Alicia shouted in alarm as she struggled to keep herself upright.

The dunsparce landed with a thud on the surface of the ice and dazedly pulled himself up – oddly, it was the kind of difference you could see even though Pari had no legs.

"Blizzard!" Pryce called out.

"Rollout!" Alicia shouted.

As another blizzard started to gather, Pari rolled forwards sharply. Gaining speed, he ploughed into Piloswine and knocked him back. It was a solid blow and Piloswine let out a grunt of pain as he skidded to a halt.

However, as Pari pulled back to prepare for another strike, he was hit by the full force of Piloswine's next blizzard. The snow and ice swirled around, catching the dunsparce and hurling him about. There was a final crash as he slammed to the ground.

"Dunsparce is unable to battle!" the referee announced, his teeth chattering even harder as the temperature continued to drop. "Piloswine is the winner!"

It was a difficult situation.

Alicia gritted her teeth as she reached for her final poké ball. It looked like it would be down to Balva again. She hoped he was up for it.

The magcargo certainly didn't look too happy as he surveyed his opponent. A ground type? Not his preferred enemy. In fact, any onlooker could be forgiven for thinking that this was already over. How could the already-weakened Balva survive the inevitable earthquake that Piloswine would soon summon?

"Flamethrower!" Alicia shouted. She kept her voice as calm and steady as she could to reassure her pokémon. If she sounded confident and at ease, then it would hopefully make Balva feel the same way.

Balva duly fired a blast of flames towards Piloswine, only for him to dodge to the side and start stamping his feet on the ground. In seconds, the ground had started rippling with energy. Then the room started shaking violently.

It had been a predictable move though. Alicia and Balva were fully expecting it and the magcargo had already managed to haul himself into the air. It wasn't an easy move and it wouldn't last long, but it kept him up long enough to fire a second flamethrower towards Piloswine.

The flames seared across the battlefield, creating a blinding scene as the light reflected off the ice covering the battlefield and the boulders left over from the earlier rounds. Piloswine attempted to lurch to the side but was far too slow. There was a shout of pain as the flames engulfed him.

Balva landed again as the shockwave dissipated, swaying slightly as he tried to keep his balance. He managed to keep himself safe from the worst of the damage. Flames continued streaming from his mouth as Piloswine writhed around. However, he could only last so long.

"Use Earthquake!" Pryce yelled as Balva lifted his attack.

"Body Slam!" Alicia shouted.

Another shockwave tore at the arena, catching Balva just before he could leap up for his attack. Despite the damage, he managed to lift off and dropped down towards Piloswine, who was swaying with the force of his own earthquake. There was a crash as Balva smashed into him and knocked him back into a nearby boulder.

"Flamethrower!" Alicia yelled desperately as the earthquake subsided.

Balva didn't waste any time.

As Piloswine started pulling himself back forward, the magcargo opened his mouth and spewed flames at him. Black smoke filled the air as the arena once again became difficult to look at.

When the smoke finally cleared, it was accompanied by a thud as Piloswine collapsed to the ground.

"Piloswine is unable to battle!" the referee announced. "Magcargo is the winner!"

"Ah, beaten at the very end," Pryce sighed. He held up Piloswine's poké ball to return the fallen pokémon.

"Great work, Balva!" Alicia called wearily, finally letting out all the tension that had built up in her body. "That was some great fighting."

Too tired to move, Balva simply motioned at her to recall him to his poké ball. He was going to sleep for a day after all this. Alicia was quick to oblige and withdrew him before walking cautiously around the side of the arena to meet with Pryce.

"Well, you certainly took everything that I could throw at you," he said, offering his hand. "You're good for a youngster."

"Thank you," Alicia replied.

"As the Mahogany Town gym leader, I present you with the Glacier Badge," Pryce said, offering her a badge shaped like a snowflake. "Good luck with your remaining gym battles."

"Thanks, Pryce," Alicia said, smiling. She held up her new gym badge and gazed at it. Now they just needed one more before they could qualify for the Johto League.

Up in the stands, Livvi had already gotten to her feet. With Alicia finished, it was her turn to face Pryce. It looked like it was going to be a tough battle – even after all the damage that Alicia had done. Still, there was no way that she wanted to be left behind by her younger companion.

* * *

 **So, after our short break to deal with Alicia's back story it's time to move back to the gym battle scene. I wanted to make Pryce seem threatening, but not overly powerful – a level befitting someone who can either be the seventh gym leader or the fifth gym leader depending on which way you go after Ecruteak City.**

 **Either way, Alicia is now one step closer to the Johto League, with only one badge left to earn. Next chapter, we'll move on to Livvi for what feels like the first time in a while.**

 **As ever, I appreciate any feedback you have on this chapter and don't forget to leave a like on the Facebook page.**

 **Until next time!**

* * *

 **Team Listings:**

 **Livvi Weston:**

 **Active:**

 **Barru** (Ivysaur): male, timid, highly persistent, likes sweet food, grass-poison type, Overgrow ability, knows Double-Edge, Sludge Bomb, Solar Beam and Leech Seed.

 **Evoro** (Jolteon): male, jolly, alert to sounds, likes sweet food, electric type, Volt Absorb ability, knows Thunderbolt, Double Team, Double Kick and Quick Attack.

 **Tavro** (Hypno): male, quirky, loves to eat, eats anything, psychic type, Forewarn ability, knows Psychic, Hypnosis, Future Sight and Headbutt.

 **Litine** (Azumarill): female, mild, good endurance, likes dry food, water type, Thick Fat ability, knows Double-Edge, Rain Dance, Hydro Pump and Rollout.

 **Dacino** (Cyndaquil): male, adamant, loves to eat, likes spicy food, fire type, Blaze ability, knows Flamethrower, Swift, Flame Wheel and Smokescreen.

 **Ferru** (Teddiursa): male, hardy, loves to eat, eats anything, normal type, Pickup ability, knows Feint Attack, Slash, Thrash and Fake Tears.

 **In Viridian City:**

 **Dorru** (Nidorina): female, quiet, mischievous, likes dry food, poison type, Rivalry ability, knows Fury Swipes, Double Kick, Poison Sting and Crunch.

 **Salea** (Blissey): female, gentle, somewhat vain, likes bitter food, normal type, Natural Cure ability, knows Softboiled, Psychic, Double-Edge and Egg Bomb.

 **Cylune** (Venomoth): male, modest, proud of its power, likes dry food, poison-bug type, Shield Dust ability, knows Stun Spore, Psychic, Toxic and Silver Wind.

 **Alicia Law:**

 **Active:**

 **Ruo** (Meganium): male, naughty, often dozes off, likes spicy food, grass type, Overgrow ability, knows Body Slam, Synthesis, Solar Beam and Safeguard.

 **Pari** (Dunsparce): male, quirky, likes to thrash about, eats anything, normal type, Serene Grace ability, knows Rollout, Screech, Double-Edge and Dig.

 **Saffa** (Magikarp): female, rash, often lost in thought, likes dry food, water type, Swift Swim ability, knows Splash and Tackle.

 **Balva** (Magcargo): male, hasty, a little quick tempered, likes sweet food, fire type, Flame Body ability, knows Protect, Rock Slide, Flamethrower and Body Slam.


	21. Icy Reception (Part 2)

**Hello and welcome to another chapter of** _ **Pokémon Journey: Livvi's Johto Scrapbook**_ **!**

 **Last chapter saw Alicia fight and defeat Pryce, the leader of the Mahogany gym, and earn the Glacier Badge for her trouble. Now it's Livvi's turn to go up against the ice-type gym leader.**

 **Upload Date: 26th September 2018**

* * *

 **Chapter 21 - Icy Reception (Part 2)**

 _Mahogany Town, Johto_

 _12:14pm, 1st June 2006_

At the end of Alicia's battle with Pryce, Livvi had been so caught up in the thrill of her victory that she'd even forgotten the freezing cold in the gym. As she'd left the stands to make her way down to the lobby again, however, the warmth from her excitement had faded and the cold was biting into her once again. She was shivering so much as she walked down the stairs that she couldn't focus - how was she going to fight and win a gym battle in this condition?

Still, Alicia had managed it, hadn't she? Even if it was tough, Livvi had to find a way to do it as well.

She'd spent most of the battle thinking over who her best choices would be when she went up against Pryce. Unlike Alicia, she had plenty of options and a part of her thought it would be a waste to decide before she even stepped onto the arena. Dacino was pretty much a no-brainer, but if Pryce was going to use pokémon like Dewgong or Piloswine, then it would be good to have suitable backups. She had a good team to choose from and she was confident in all of them, especially after all the training they'd been doing recently.

There was a part of her that was hoping her team would be capable of handling themselves during the battle - she wasn't sure how well she'd be able to cope with the cold conditions. It seemed to get even colder the lower down she got. It wasn't going to be a fun experience really.

As she reached the bottom, she met Alicia coming the other way.

"Congratulations!" she said, smiling at her.

"Thanks," Alicia replied bashfully. "I wasn't sure how I'd be able to do…"

"I think you did a great job," Livvi said firmly. "You had a pretty rough line-up, but you still came out on top. I just hope my team and I can do the same in our battle."

"If I can do it, then you'll definitely be able to do it!" Alicia replied enthusiastically. "It's really cold in there, but that means that Pryce's team will get too confident since they're in their element!"

"I hadn't thought about it that way," Livvi said thoughtfully. "Thanks for letting me know - I'm counting on you to cheer me on, Alicia!"

"Sure!" Alicia nodded eagerly.

Livvi gave her a cheerful thumbs-up as they passed each other and continued on their ways. Once she was out of sight, she let her confident expression lapse a little. Even if Pryce's pokémon could get overconfident, it wasn't like they didn't have a right to be.

Still, there was no point in letting that get her down. She'd fought tough opponents before and managed to come out on top. And what was the worst that could happen? A rematch? Sure, it would be demoralising, but it wouldn't be the end of the world.

Of course, she and her pokémon weren't going to let that happen without giving it their all first.

Strengthening her resolve and trying hard to keep herself from shivering, she continued walking down the passage towards the arena.

* * *

 _12:16pm, 1st June 2006_

"Begin!" the referee shouted.

Both Pryce and Livvi threw their poké balls at the same moment. With a pop, both opened and released the pokémon contained within.

On Livvi's side, Evoro materialised on the ground, his spiky fur bristling with electricity. Opposite him, a jynx emerged from Pryce's poké ball.

"A jynx?" Livvi murmured in surprise, struggling to keep herself from shivering. She'd been expecting to see either Seel or Dewgong. Still, Evoro was tough. She was sure that he'd be able to hold up well against Jynx.

"Use Blizzard!" Pryce called.

With a shout, Jynx fired a blast of frozen air towards Evoro, who was taken by surprise and blasted back. A swirling mass of snow and sleet raged around the already-freezing arena and obscured almost everything. Livvi couldn't stop herself from shivering violently, teeth chattering as she peered desperately through the white storm for Evoro.

Fortunately, he'd managed to anchor himself to stop himself being blown away, but he was shivering even more violently than Livvi was. This wasn't going to be a pleasant battle at all.

"Use Thunderbolt!" Livvi yelled.

With a nod, Evoro pulled himself shakily up and fired a powerful blast of electricity through the clearing blizzard. Jynx was caught off-guard by the sudden counter attack and took the hit directly.

"Keep g-g-g-going!" Livvi yelled, seeing her breath appear in front of her like a ghostly white mist.

Both pokémon continued exchanging attacks, but it was quickly looking like Evoro was the one who was worse off. The cold had seeped into his body and was making him shiver violently. Moving around seemed to be getting more and more difficult for him with each blow Jynx managed to land. Though he was landing his own hits, his opponent seemed to be good at warding off long-range attacks. He didn't dare attempt any physical attacks - it was all he could do to hold himself steady on the icy arena floor.

"Blizzard!" Pryce shouted.

Jynx grinned cheerfully as she summoned up another powerful blizzard, sending powerful winds and streams of snow and ice whirling towards Evoro. His shout of alarm was drowned out by the howling and he almost instantly lost sight of Livvi. He decided that it was best to try and retreat back and come up with a new plan, so he started inching backwards and tried to ignore the growing ache in his legs.

After what felt like a very long time, he finally spotted Livvi as he glanced over his shoulder and continued moving towards her. Like him, she seemed to be really suffering from the cold as well.

Evoro called out to her to let her know that he was here. He turned and tried to run back to her, but his legs started wobbling violently beneath him. The cold was no joke.

Livvi noticed that Evoro was struggling and quickly made a decision. Pulling out the jolteon's poké ball, she held it up for him. "Evoro, return!"

Evoro was hit by the recall beam and was sucked back into the ball.

Taking a deep breath to try and control her shivering, Livvi reached for a second poké ball and threw it out. "Go, Dacino!"

Dacino called out enthusiastically as he materialised on the ground in front of Livvi. Unlike Evoro, he didn't seem anywhere near as bothered by the cold; his momentary shivering quickly vanished as he fired out billowing flames from his back.

"Thanks, Dacino," Livvi said gratefully as she felt herself starting to warm up. Across from them, Jynx had stopped her attack and was watching Dacino carefully. Clearly, she didn't feel quite as at ease as she'd done against Evoro.

"Psychic!" Pryce called.

Jynx quickly reached out and grabbed Dacino with her psychic power. As he was lifted into the air, however, he immediately shot a blast of flames in her direction.

She yelped in alarm and dropped him.

"Flame Wheel!" Livvi yelled.

As he dropped back to the ground, Dacino curled himself up and cloaked himself in flames. Spinning violently, he rushed down towards Jynx as she finished dodging his last attack. There was a crash and a shower of flames as the two collided. Jynx was knocked to the ground, while Dacino somersaulted backwards and landed softly on the ground.

"Flamethrower!" Livvi shouted without a second's hesitation. She'd already seen that Pryce was an excellent trainer - she couldn't afford to let up for an instant if she wanted to win.

There was a shout of pain as Jynx was engulfed by Dacino's attack. Even with the flames causing brief waves of warmth to spread through the arena, the bitter cold still seeped back depressingly quickly.

Jynx managed to pull herself back up again, swatting at the remaining flames around and on her. She was still fighting, but both pokémon could see which way the battle lay. It was going to be a tough fight if she wanted to overpower the determined fire type.

"You can do it, Livvi!" Alicia shouted eagerly from the stands. "Keep using Flamethrower!"

She had been a little envious to see that Livvi's first opponent had been Jynx - a pokémon which didn't have any particular defences against fire-type opponents. It shouldn't be that tough to beat her, at least compared to Alicia's first opponents in her own battle.

Jumping back, Jynx's eyes lit up once more as she lifted Dacino into the air. This time, she moved quickly, just fast enough to break the cyndaquil's concentration as he prepared to fire back. There was a squeal of pain as Dacino was slammed down onto the icy arena floor.

"Stay strong - use Flamethrower!" Livvi shouted.

Jumping up and dodging a ball of shadows thrown by Jynx, Dacino opened his mouth and fired out a powerful burst of flames. As Jynx attempted to dive to the side to avoid them, Dacino jumped into the air and started. Cloaking himself in flames again, he plunged towards his prone opponent and smashed into her. Flames scattered everywhere and some of the ice on the arena floor started to turn a little slushy.

Jynx managed to stagger to her feet again, but swiftly collapsed to the floor in exhaustion, while Dacino jumped back to put some space between them.

"Jynx is unable to battle!" the referee announced. "Cyndaquil is the winner!"

"Alright!" Livvi cheered. "Great job, Dacino!"

Dacino grinned back wearily. The adrenaline was still pumping through him though and the fire on his back was burning brightly, keeping him warm in the frigid environment in here. However, some of Jynx's attacks had left an impact - every time he so much as twitched his right foreleg, he felt a sharp jolt of pain shoot through it.

Still, he put on a brave face and tried to ignore it as he looked across the battlefield towards Pryce, who was reaching for his next poké ball.

"Go, Piloswine!"

The brown, furry pokémon burst from the ball and materialised on the ground. He puffed, using his breath to blow the fur out of his eyes, and looked back across at Dacino. He didn't seem the least bit intimidated by the fire type.

"Use Flamethrower!" Livvi shouted, not wanting to give Pryce the advantage.

With a shout, Dacino took aim and fired. A jet of flames shot across the battlefield towards Piloswine, who stamped the ground violently as it approached. Dacino was thrown off his feet as a shockwave passed him, sending him spinning into the air. He slammed down hard onto his shoulder, his vision blurring as he smacked the right side of his head onto the hard ice.

"Dacino!" Livvi shouted in alarm. She scarcely noticed Piloswine shuddering in pain as the remaining flames engulfed him.

Dacino staggered back to his feet, dazed and bruised. Everything suddenly seemed very distant. He couldn't clear his head - sometimes he could see double, and then everything would suddenly blur together for a split second that felt like it lasted an hour. He struggled to distinguish the noises around him but, as he looked back in the direction of Piloswine, he started hearing the words 'Flame Wheel' from Livvi's direction.

Gathering up his strength and feeling the flames on his back starting to burn even hotter, he jumped into the air and started spinning. Suddenly, he was engulfed by an intense wave of flames. Beyond the roar of the flames, he thought he could make out some surprised gasps in the distance.

It felt as though he was spinning for a long time before he finally felt the impact. He slammed hard into Piloswine's front, scattering intense flames around them as he forced the larger pokémon backwards. As he rebounded off and sailed back through the air, Dacino was satisfied as he registered the shout of pain from his opponent. He scarcely noticed the intense wave of cold air, snow and sleet being hurled back his way.

There was a crash as he hit the ground, blown back by the intensity of Piloswine's blizzard.

"Cyndaquil is unable to battle!" the referee shouted. "Piloswine is the winner!"

"Dacino, return!" Livvi called, shaken by the last round of attacks. Dacino was quickly returned to his poké ball. The safety and comfort of the interior would give him a chance to recover.

With Dacino secure, her thoughts turned back to her own predicament. Piloswine was a tough opponent. He would be more than capable of dealing with either Evoro or Barru, both of whom would be her next choices. The rest of her team didn't have the kind of attacks that could put the hardy pokémon down…

...Wait! What was she thinking? She had Litine. The azumarill wasn't vulnerable to ice-type attacks and could really pack a punch with her water-type attacks. Best of all, she wouldn't be at a disadvantage if Dewgong or Seel came out either - in fact, her thick fat would help protect her from the cold. She was the perfect choice!

With relief surging through her, Livvi reached for Litine's poké ball. "Go, Litine!"

The azumarill cheered enthusiastically as she materialised on the arena floor. She bounced up and down as she examined her opponent with interest. She didn't seem intimidated by him at all.

"Use Rain Dance!" Livvi ordered.

With a nod, Litine immediately started jumping around more than before. Dark clouds formed overhead, close to the roof of the arena.

"I hope I don't regret this," Livvi muttered, grimacing as she felt the first fat raindrop fall from the newly-formed clouds. Being soaked through in a room like this wasn't going to end well for any of them.

There was another powerful shockwave from Piloswine's end of the field, almost sending both Livvi and Litine flying. They both managed to stay upright and, on Livvi's orders, Litine countered with a powerful deluge of water.

Piloswine managed to dodge it and fired a blast of frozen air back towards the azumarill. It was far weaker than the previous blizzards that had swept around the room - Livvi thought it looked a lot more like Icy Wind instead. Perhaps Pryce was holding back since he knew that the rain was falling quite heavily now?

"Double-Edge!" Livvi shouted.

Litine nodded and charged forwards, gaining pace as she drew closer and closer to Piloswine. He started charging towards her as well, preparing to meet her head-on.

"Hydro Pump!" Livvi yelled at the last minute.

Litine started skidding to a halt as she opened her mouth and fired a powerful blast of water straight into Piloswine's face.

He squealed in pain as he was blasted back, even his large bulk and weight not being enough to resist the force of Litine's attack. When he finally came to rest he managed to stagger back up, but he didn't look like he was enthusiastic about the idea of going head-to-head with Litine again.

"Earthquake!" Pryce called.

Nodding, Piloswine immediately stamped his feet, sending another powerful shockwave across the arena. Litine was thrown backwards as part of the battlefield fragmented.

"This is starting to get really intense," Alicia muttered as she pulled herself more firmly back into her seat. It was hard to stay put when the shockwaves shook everything in the room, including her. Still, Litine was tough. Even after being thrown back, she was still getting back to her feet.

"Double-Edge!" Livvi shouted.

With a shout, Litine charged forwards. The rain was hammering down intensely now and it was getting a little difficult to see one end of the arena from the other.

"Earthquake!" Pryce called.

"Hydro Pump!" Livvi shouted as Piloswine made to stamp the ground once again.

"Blizzard!" Pryce yelled.

As Litine stopped charging and fired a powerful blast of water, Piloswine responded with a powerful blizzard. He sent snow and ice pummelling towards Litine, this time so cold that the water from Litine's attack was freezing in midair and tumbling to the ground.

The crash of the shattering ice made it slightly difficult for Alicia to hear Livvi's next command. Litine heard it loud and clear though and sprang into the air just as the blizzard washed over where she was standing. She plunged down into the swirling, frozen mass and vanished from view.

Seconds later, there was a loud crash as she smashed into Piloswine. He staggered backwards in pain, trying to get his senses back. However, he was too slow to prevent Litine launching her final attack. As the final blast of water struck Piloswine and the blizzard faded away, there was no doubt that the round was over.

"Piloswine is unable to battle!" the referee announced. "Azumarill is the winner!"

"Phew!" Livvi sighed with relief as Pryce recalled Piloswine. Now it was two against one - she had the advantage for what felt like the first time in the battle.

"Go, Lapras!" Pryce called, throwing out his final poké ball.

His lapras let out a loud, confident cry as he emerged from his poké ball and materialised on the ground. It seemed like an odd choice in many ways - Lapras wasn't going to be as manoeuvrable as some of Pryce's other pokémon and Livvi didn't think he'd be able to dodge many of Litine's attacks.

On the other hand, he was still a lapras. Lapras were tough pokémon and they were powerful too. It wasn't going to be an easy battle.

"Use Rollout!" Livvi immediately ordered.

With a shout, Litine jumped into the air and tucked herself into a ball. She started rolling towards Lapras, gaining speed and power.

"Psychic!" Pryce called.

With a sudden jerk, Litine was lifted into the air. She continued to roll hopelessly in one spot for a second before pulling herself out of it.

"Hydro Pump!" Livvi shouted.

Before Litine could open her mouth, Lapras jerked his head and the azumarill was thrown to the ground with a loud crash.

"Blizzard!" Pryce called.

Lapras filled the arena with yet another howling blizzard within seconds. Litine, who'd just started pulling herself up, was knocked to the ground again and really had to fight to get back to her feet again.

Once up, she immediately started rolling through the pelting snow towards her opponent. Fortunately, the blizzard was so thick and dense that not only did Lapras not spot her, but he was also too preoccupied with maintaining it to really react to her when she finally came into his view.

There was a crash as Litine slammed hard into Lapras's front, followed by a cry of pain from the water-ice type.

As Litine looped around for a second attack, though, Lapras recovered and fired a powerful blast of water at her. Catching her off-guard, she was thrown back and landed with a crash in front of Livvi. Although she immediately staggered back to her feet, she was clearly starting to run out of steam.

"Litine, return!" Livvi called, holding up her poké ball. She quickly whipped out another. "Go, Evoro!"

Evoro called out eagerly as he burst back out of his ball and took to the arena once more. He still looked pretty tired, but the rest had done him good. Litine could take over again if the worst happened, but Livvi was hoping that they'd end the battle long before that.

"Use Hydro Pump!" Pryce called.

Now that Lapras's blizzard had faded, the rainclouds Litine had summoned started pelting down rain again. The extra water added to the power of Lapras's attack as it shot towards Evoro.

However, the jolteon was ready. In an instant, there were suddenly at least ten doubles all stood around on Livvi's side of the battlefield, all looking firmly across Lapras. His attack struck the nearest one, but it immediately faded away - the real one was still at large.

"Use Double Kick!" Livvi shouted.

The doubles all charged forwards, some of them being scythed down by Lapras as he continued firing his jet of water. The final three sprang towards him as he finally relented, gasping for breath. The first two flew straight through him and vanished, but the last swung both hind legs around and launched two quick and powerful kicks.

Lapras roared in pain as he lurched backwards. By the time he'd recovered, Evoro was already retreating back towards the halfway line.

"Blizzard!" Pryce ordered. All throughout the battle, he'd remained steadfastly calm, even when his pokémon were in difficulty. Livvi couldn't imagine being able to stay that way even in tough situations, but she had to admit that it seemed to really help his team.

Lapras shouted back and fired another freezing blast of air and snow around the arena. Evoro was quickly caught and thrown back. He managed to roll with his landing and was back on his feet in seconds.

However, Livvi recognised that they needed to end the battle soon. Evoro was shivering from the cold and, frankly, Livvi didn't think that she would be able to keep going for much longer. The adrenaline was keeping her warm from the inside, but she was quickly growing exhausted herself. A quick glance up at the stands told her that Alicia was frozen as well.

"Hydro Pump!"

Livvi jerked back to reality as she heard Pryce's shout. Lapras had already fired a powerful blast of water towards Evoro. Once again, it was getting even stronger as the pouring rain joined it. Getting Litine to set it up had been a mistake.

"Thunderbolt!" Livvi shouted.

Evoro swiftly charged up electricity and fired it just as the water hit him. As he was flung back, he released the electricity. The arena lit up as the electricity travelled back along the jet of water so quickly that Lapras had no time to react. There was a bright flash and a roar of pain, followed by a crash as Evoro landed on the ground.

As the jolteon clawed his way back to his feet, legs quaking under him, his opponent slumped to the ground and lay still.

"L-Lapras is unable to battle!" the referee called. "Jolteon is the winner! All three of the gym leader's pokémon are unable to battle, so the winner of this match is the challenger, Olivia Weston from Viridian City!"

"We did it!" Livvi cheered, a warm feeling spreading through her body in spite of her freezing surroundings. "We did it, guys!" She beamed first at Evoro and then at both Litine and Dacino in their poké balls.

"The tough trainers keep rolling through here today," Pryce sighed, recalling Lapras to his poké ball. "You were sloppy in places though - you should be careful that your own moves don't backfire on you in the future."

"Y-yes," Livvi replied quickly, immediately thinking of Rain Dance.

"You've got some tough pokémon," Pryce continued. "Not many could have taken the full power of my team and still come up fighting. You should be very proud of them."

"I am!" Livvi nodded eagerly.

"Good." Pryce cracked a small smile. He walked slowly towards her, holding out a small badge. "This here is the Glacier Badge. I hope that you and your pokémon will remember what you did here every time you look at it."

"Thank you so much, Pryce!" Livvi replied, smiling at him as she took the badge. "B-b-but I think I need to get somewhere warm now!"

* * *

 _12:32pm, 1st June 2006_

"You did it, Livvi! Well done!" Alicia called as she ran down the stairs to join her in the lobby. "I knew you'd win!"

"Thanks," Livvi managed before Alicia reached her and threw her arms around her. "I think it was a bit tricky in places - we were lucky that we had Litine to back us up."

"I'm sure Ferru and Tavro would have done great as well," Alicia said enthusiastically. "Barru too!"

"Y-yeah." Livvi nodded. "Anyway, let's get out of here. I swear I almost froze to death in there."

They waved goodbye to the poor receptionist as they crossed the room and stepped out into the bright, warm June afternoon. Looking back as the warmth filled her bones, Livvi gazed at the Mahogany gym, not quite believing that she'd managed to beat it and now only needed one more gym badge to compete in the Johto League.

"I guess we need to plan where we're heading next!" Alicia said cheerfully, lurking by Livvi's side. "Any ideas?"

"Hmm," Livvi said thoughtfully. "I've got a few ideas in mind. There are a couple of places we could go from here. Want to get a drink and have a look at the map after we've dropped the pokémon off?"

"That sounds great!" Alicia nodded.

The two of them set off back towards the pokémon centre. It had been an exhausting day, perhaps more so than on a normal gym challenge. It was a relief that it was over and that there was now only one obstacle left standing between them and the Johto League.

* * *

 **Didn't really want to get too bogged down in that freezing gym, so Livvi gets the gym badge as well, though I think it was well-earned as well!**

 **Since this is the first** _ **Johto Scrapbook**_ **update since the announcement of rewrites back in Chapter 78 of** _ **Pokémon Journey: Hoenn**_ **, I'll put another reminder here that the survey is still open and can be accessed via the** _ **Pokémon Journey**_ **Facebook page.**

 **As ever, I appreciate any feedback you have on this chapter and don't forget to leave a like on the Facebook page.**

 **Until next time!**

* * *

 **Team Listings:**

 **Livvi Weston:**

 **Active:**

 **Barru** (Ivysaur): male, timid, highly persistent, likes sweet food, grass-poison type, Overgrow ability, knows Double-Edge, Sludge Bomb, Solar Beam and Leech Seed.

 **Evoro** (Jolteon): male, jolly, alert to sounds, likes sweet food, electric type, Volt Absorb ability, knows Thunderbolt, Double Team, Double Kick and Quick Attack.

 **Tavro** (Hypno): male, quirky, loves to eat, eats anything, psychic type, Forewarn ability, knows Psychic, Hypnosis, Future Sight and Headbutt.

 **Litine** (Azumarill): female, mild, good endurance, likes dry food, water type, Thick Fat ability, knows Double-Edge, Rain Dance, Hydro Pump and Rollout.

 **Dacino** (Cyndaquil): male, adamant, loves to eat, likes spicy food, fire type, Blaze ability, knows Flamethrower, Swift, Flame Wheel and Smokescreen.

 **Ferru** (Teddiursa): male, hardy, loves to eat, eats anything, normal type, Pickup ability, knows Feint Attack, Slash, Thrash and Fake Tears.

 **In Viridian City:**

 **Dorru** (Nidorina): female, quiet, mischievous, likes dry food, poison type, Rivalry ability, knows Fury Swipes, Double Kick, Poison Sting and Crunch.

 **Salea** (Blissey): female, gentle, somewhat vain, likes bitter food, normal type, Natural Cure ability, knows Softboiled, Psychic, Double-Edge and Egg Bomb.

 **Cylune** (Venomoth): male, modest, proud of its power, likes dry food, poison-bug type, Shield Dust ability, knows Stun Spore, Psychic, Toxic and Silver Wind.

 **Alicia Law:**

 **Active:**

 **Ruo** (Meganium): male, naughty, often dozes off, likes spicy food, grass type, Overgrow ability, knows Body Slam, Synthesis, Solar Beam and Safeguard.

 **Pari** (Dunsparce): male, quirky, likes to thrash about, eats anything, normal type, Serene Grace ability, knows Rollout, Screech, Double-Edge and Dig.

 **Saffa** (Magikarp): female, rash, often lost in thought, likes dry food, water type, Swift Swim ability, knows Splash and Tackle.

 **Balva** (Magcargo): male, hasty, a little quick tempered, likes sweet food, fire type, Flame Body ability, knows Protect, Rock Slide, Flamethrower and Body Slam.


	22. Magnetic Attraction

**Hello and welcome to another chapter of** _ **Pokémon Journey: Livvi's Johto Scrapbook**_ **!**

 **Last time, Livvi successfully defeated Pryce and earned her seventh Johto League gym badge in Mahogany Town.**

 **Upload Date: 31st October 2018**

* * *

 **Chapter 22: Magnetic Attraction**

 _Route 43, Johto_

 _1:34pm, 3rd June 2006_

With their victories over Pryce at the Mahogany Gym, both Livvi and Alicia now only had one gym badge left to earn each. They'd spent a long time looking at the map the evening of their victories to try and decide where to head next.

They were now on the edge of the wilder, more rugged part of Johto - the north-eastern mountains and valleys. Travel in the area was more difficult compared to the well-connected rest of the region and would be a far cry from the metropolis of Goldenrod City or Ecruteak City. This was the direction that they had decided to follow anyway.

Both of them were keenly aware of the fact that the Johto League was slowly drawing closer. The tournament was being hosted in Silver Town at the foot of Mt. Silver, which was on the border between Johto and Kanto, and would take them a while to get to. By looping north of Mahogany Town and out across the mountains, the two of them were hoping to come across a final gym in one of the towns or cities in the area.

It was a bit of a gamble, but Livvi was confident that it would pay off for them. For a start, gyms out in this part of the region were less likely to get rushed by hordes of trainers desperate for a final badge in the weeks leading up to the tournament. She did think that it was likely that any gym out in this tough area would be far more difficult to beat than the ones in the urban heartland, but that wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing. Experiences like this could make all the difference when they fought against other trainers at the league.

So, they'd left Mahogany Town that morning and joined Route 43 heading north towards the Lake of Rage. Livvi had been constantly making a mental note to enjoy the mostly flat and easy road on this part of their journey. Once they were in the mountains, it was going to get much harder.

They were so relaxed that they'd decided to stop for an extended lunch break in the shade of a tree by the side of the road. The pokémon were all out enjoying the sunshine.

Barru and Ruo were both basking in the sunshine, trying to absorb as much light as they could. Saffa kept flailing around, occasionally hurling herself at Balva, who glanced away disinterestedly with each harmless blow she landed. She was getting enthusiastic, at least. Evoro and Litine had gone off to explore their surroundings, while Pari, Ferru and Dacino were lounging around on a warm patch of grass, only occasionally getting into squabbles with each other. Tavro was sat by Livvi, shooting her agitated looks every now and again. He couldn't believe that she was passing up the opportunity to do some more training.

"How much further until we reach the next town?" Alicia asked.

"Not far," Livvi replied. "I think another hour or two."

"That's good - my feet are still hurting!"

"That's only because you kept running ahead and then running back!" Livvi said, chuckling. "Just because we're having a more relaxed day doesn't mean you should try and use up _all_ your energy!"

"Sorry!" Alicia grinned guiltily.

At that moment, the two of them heard Evoro cry out a short distance away.

"What's up, Evoro?" Livvi called, jumping to her feet and hurrying over.

She stopped in surprise as Evoro and Litine came back over towards her. Evoro, looking _very_ unhappy, kept shaking himself and trying to rub his side against nearby trees and rocks. That was understandable - there was a magnemite that was flying so close to him that it was as though they were stuck together.

Livvi couldn't help but laugh at the sight. "Did you make a new friend, Evoro?"

Evoro didn't seem to think it was funny and shot Livvi an irritated look.

"A magnemite?" Alicia appeared at Livvi's side. "How did they end up there?"

"Maybe they just want to be friends?" Livvi suggested.

As Evoro got closer, however, she noticed that the magnemite looked pretty freaked out as well. At least, she thought they did - it was hard to tell with a mechanical pokémon like that. They were straining hard, the little magnets on the sides of their body whirling as they tried desperately to pull away from Evoro.

"It looks like they're stuck together," Alicia said anxiously.

"Huh…" Livvi walked over and grabbed the magnemite by their magnets. She gave them an almighty tug, but they wouldn't budge. It was like they were stuck fast to Evoro's fur, but she couldn't see anything like glue or tree sap that could have caused it.

Her thoughts were interrupted as the magnemite panicked and sent a strong electric shock back along her arms. It was her good fortune that she let go before Evoro, startled by the magnemite's outburst, discharged electricity as well.

"Are you okay, Livvi?" Alicia cried, rushing to her side.

"I'm fine," Livvi croaked, feeling her muscles spasm and her limbs jerk awkwardly. "Guess you were right."

"Sh-should we go to a hospital?" Alicia asked anxiously. "I-I mean, an electric shock like that…"

"Don't worry, I'm fine!" Livvi insisted, pulling herself into a sitting position. "I guess I'll have to return to Evoro to his poké ball to separate them."

"Are you sure you don't need to recover?" Alicia asked as she helped Livvi to her feet.

"It's just a bit of electricity," Livvi replied, stumbling slightly as she tried to walk on her now-unsteady legs. She hobbled back over to her bag and pulled out Evoro's poké ball before pointing it at him. "Return!"

However, the recall beam seemed to spook the magnemite, who fired off another blast of electricity. As Evoro responded in kind, the beam dissipated, disrupted by the powerful electric field that had now enveloped the two pokémon.

"It's no good," Livvi sighed after a couple more attempts. "The beam just can't connect."

"We should head to the nearest pokémon centre then," said Alicia. "They'll have an idea about what we can do about this."

"Guess you two will have to put up with each other for a little while longer," Livvi said, looking over at Evoro and the magnemite.

* * *

 _2:05pm, 3rd June 2006_

"Ah, yes. We've seen this happen on occasion in this area. They're joined by electromagnetism - it happens because the kind of electricity used by the magnemite in this area has a different charge to the kind used by most other electric-type pokémon."

The nurse at the pokémon centre wasn't surprised to see the predicament that Evoro and the magnemite had gotten themselves into. That had come as a relief to Livvi - she didn't like seeing either of them panicking and in distress, and the fact that they kept periodically trying to electrocute each other made them hazardous to have around.

"However, it's rare to see two pokémon this firmly stuck together." The nurse frowned. "I'm not sure there's anything I can do for these two right now - we'd need to get in a more sophisticated machine for it."

"How long would that take?" Livvi asked anxiously.

"Maybe a week or two," the nurse replied. "The nearest centre equipped with this kind of equipment is back in Ecruteak City."

Livvi groaned. Just what they needed: a trip backwards towards Ecruteak City to sort out this mess. This was going to badly delay them - maybe they should abandon the north route and find a gym on the rail line from Ecruteak to Silver Town instead?

As backup plans started forming in Livvi's head, the nurse spoke again. "Of course, there's also Old Fergus. He might be able to help you."

"Old Fergus? Who's he?" Livvi asked.

"He's a bit...eccentric," the nurse replied. "Lives in a cave up on the mountain and claims to be a wizard. He knows a surprising amount about electric types though," she added, spotting the stunned looks on Livvi and Alicia's faces. "If there's anyone in this town who could fix this without advanced machinery, then it'll be him."

Livvi and Alicia looked at each other, struggling to think of what to say next.

"A-are you sure?" Livvi finally asked.

"He sounds mad to me," Alicia added.

"Well, I can't say I disagree!" The nurse chuckled. "But I've seen what he's done in the past - he'll be able to help, I'm sure of it!"

Livvi frowned, casting another concerned look down at Evoro and the magnemite, who were still desperately straining to separate themselves. Was it worth forcing the two of them to go through another week of this?

"Where is this cave?" she asked, turning back to the nurse.

"Head up the main path on the mountain. You'll eventually reach a fork in the path with a signpost facing you. Keep going straight up past the signpost and you'll eventually see the cave."

Livvi and Alicia both thanked the nurse before turning and walking back out of the pokémon centre.

"Are we really doing this?" Alicia asked, glancing down at Evoro and the magnemite.

"It's that or waiting," Livvi replied. "If this 'Old Fergus' can help Evoro, then it's better to get it done now."

* * *

 _2:49pm, 3rd June 2006_

The nurse must have forgotten to mention that the path up the mountain was steep and exhausting. As Livvi and Alicia had quickly discovered, it was also crawling with wild pokémon who weren't happy to see them.

Fortunately, the random discharges of electricity from Evoro and the magnemite were enough to keep them away.

After climbing for what felt like a very long time, they found themselves at the fork in the road - apparently, the path looped around the mountain in a circle. The signpost was old and blended in so well with the surrounding trees that it took Livvi and Alicia a while to actually spot it. It didn't come as a surprise to see that there was no path at all beyond it - just the rough and rocky mountainside and plenty of trees to make it difficult to keep track of where they were.

"I'll get out my compass," Livvi said.

"Good idea." Alicia nodded.

If the climb on the path had been tough, then the next stage was almost impossible. Twice, the two of them had had to double back when they found themselves facing sheer cliff faces. At one point, Livvi had needed to send out Tavro to lift Evoro and the magnemite up a difficult patch of the slope with telekinesis. She decided to keep Tavro out with them, just in case someone fell over a cliff edge or got injured and needed to be taken back down.

Aside from her frustration at the difficult route and her anger at the nurse for not being clear with them, she was also increasingly filled with a nervous anticipation at the idea of meeting this hermit. If he lived this far out of the way, then would he take kindly to suddenly having visitors? They were already coming out here to ask him for a favour - what if he got angry with them and sent them away again?

She tried to keep her mind off it. Though she told herself that there was no use worrying about it, the uncomfortable knot in her stomach remained and grew tighter as they finally hauled themselves up a steep rock fall and spotted a distinctive cave ahead of them.

"Do you think this is it?" Alicia asked, looking around at Livvi.

"Yeah," Livvi replied, nodding. "I mean, unless we somehow missed it…"

At that moment, there was a loud clatter from the cave.

"Who's there?" A weathered old face appeared in the entrance, glancing around suspiciously before homing in on Livvi and Alicia. "What do you want? Answer quick, before I curse you!"

Livvi, Alicia, Tavro, Evoro and the magnemite all glanced at each other nervously. The old man now emerging from the cave certainly could have passed for a wizard, what with his long, greying hair and beard.

"Are you Old Fergus?" Livvi called out.

"That's 'Mr Fergus' to you!" he snapped. "Now, what are you doing here?" His eyes fell on Evoro and the magnemite, still stuck hopelessly together but too startled by the old man to continue electrocuting each other. He let out a sigh. "That damn nurse sent you my way, didn't she?"

"I-is that a problem?" Alicia asked cautiously.

"'Course it's a problem!" Old Fergus shouted. "I didn't come up here so brats could keep bothering me about my magic!" Even though he said that, he beckoned to them with a resigned expression on his face. After sharing another nervous glance, Livvi, Alicia, Tavro, Evoro and the magnemite followed him into the cave.

Livvi couldn't help but glance around as they entered. It looked like Old Fergus lived a very minimalist life - there was hardly anything inside other than a makeshift bed and some clothes scattered around the cave. There were also a number of odd talismans and charms dotted around the room and a large pot containing something that didn't smell good. And now that she looked more carefully, there was also a raticate lounging about on a rock in the gloomy back of the cave. It watched them warily with one eye as they sat down on the scattered rocks Old Fergus gestured to.

"So, please can you help us?" Livvi asked. "I want to help my jolteon and this wild magnemite as quickly as possible."

Old Fergus ignored her. "That nurse is always palming difficult jobs off onto me," he said bitterly. "Just 'cause I can use magic and she can't…"

Livvi and Alicia glanced at each other once again. Livvi could tell from Alicia's sceptical expression that she thought they should make their excuses and leave. But it was still too soon to give up.

"Is it true that you can get them to separate though?" she asked cautiously.

"There's a technique," Old Fergus replied reluctantly. "A spell that allows electric types to neutralise their electric fields. Not complicated, but hardly no one bothers to learn, do they?"

"A spell?" Alicia raised an eyebrow, but quickly fell silent when Livvi gave her a firm glance.

"Can you show Evoro how to use it, Mr Fergus?" she asked anxiously.

Old Fergus gave her an appraising look. "What's your name, girl?"

"Livvi."

"And you?"

"A-Alicia," Alicia stuttered, caught off-guard by his sudden question.

Old Fergus continued looking at them for a couple of seconds before getting to his feet. "I'll teach your jolteon and that magnemite the spell. But in exchange…" He gestured to a pile of empty baskets sat by the foot of his bed. "I'm low on herbs and berries. Go out and gather some while I teach them."

Livvi's face lit up. "Thank you! Thank you so much!" she cried in gratitude, immediately jumping to her feet. "Wh-what kind of berries and herbs?"

"All you can find," Old Fergus replied. "Everything on the mountain's useful and I need all I can get to mix a new potion." He paused for a second. "I'd try looking further down if I were you - and take that hypno of yours with you, just in case! Now get moving!"

"Aren't we allowed to see the spell?" Alicia asked.

"Alicia!" Livvi hissed, jabbing her lightly with her elbow. She bowed politely to Old Fergus. "Thank you very much. We'll be right back."

They both grabbed a basket each as they passed and stepped back out into the bright sunlight outside.

* * *

 _3:12pm, 3rd June 2006_

"How long do we have to do this?" Alicia asked wearily as she picked another berry from a nearby bush.

"I guess until we've filled the baskets," Livvi replied. A quick glance told her that they were getting close. She bent down and pulled out another herb from between two rocks.

"You think that the old man will actually manage to get Evoro and that magnemite to separate?"

"I don't see why not. I mean, he sounded pretty confident. So did the nurse."

"Magic though?"

"Well, maybe not! As long as Evoro and the magnemite are safe, I don't care."

They lapsed into silence as they continued hunting for berries and herbs. Tavro watched them from atop a nearby boulder, occasionally casting his gaze back up the mountain in the direction of the cave. Every now and again, they heard the distinctive crack of electricity. All three of them wondered what Old Fergus was doing with them.

"I guess I'm done," Livvi said finally, putting her last herb into her basket and straightening up.

"Same," Alicia said, picking up her basket and walking over to join her.

They started the arduous climb back up to the cave, occasionally enlisting Tavro to lift their baskets up while they clambered up particularly steep bits. As they got closer, they could hear the sounds of crackling electricity continuing and the odd shout from Old Fergus. The sounds grew louder as they hauled themselves up onto the slope just below the cave. It was impossible to tell what the old man was saying.

"Well, I guess we'll find out if it's worked yet," Alicia said as they approached the entrance.

Cautiously sticking their heads around, Livvi, Alicia and Tavro peered into the cave. Old Fergus was stood dramatically, waving a twig above his head and shouting nonsensical words. The electricity continued to crackle around Evoro and the magnemite - they both looked like they were focusing hard.

Suddenly, the magnemite started drifting away from Evoro, the two of them only linked by bolts of electricity flying between them. After only a couple of seconds, the electricity subsided. The two pokémon were separate again!

"Wow! It really worked!" Livvi exclaimed.

"You're back, are you?" Old Fergus said dismissively as he spotted them. "Leave the berries and herbs by the bed."

Livvi and Alicia dropped off their baskets before heading over to Evoro.

"You managed to break apart!" Livvi said cheerfully, ruffling the fur on his head. "Isn't that great, Evoro?"

Evoro called out cheerfully in response. It couldn't have come soon enough. The magnemite, in the meantime, was hovering about as though they couldn't decide what to do with their new-found freedom.

"Thank you, Mr Fergus!" Livvi turned and spoke to the old man enthusiastically.

"Shouldn't you girls be heading back down into town?" he asked irritably.

"Ah, s-sure!" Livvi nodded.

"Sorry to disturb you," said Alicia.

"When you get down there, you tell that nurse not to send more people up this mountain, you hear!"

Livvi, Alicia, Tavro and Evoro left the cave and started walking back down towards the main path.

"What a day!" Livvi sighed.

"He was a bundle of fun," Alicia mumbled. "Still, I guess he _was_ able to get Evoro and the magnemite to separate."

"Now we can get back on the road," Livvi said, grinning cheerfully at Evoro. It was only once they got further down towards the path that she realised they had an extra member. "What are you still doing here?"

The magnemite stopped hovering after them and tried to look innocent and nonchalant.

"I guess this is the quickest way down!" Alicia said.

However, the magnemite was still following them when they reached the bottom and turned to pick up the road leading north.

"I'm surprised they're not worried about getting attached to Evoro again," Livvi muttered to Alicia.

"They know how to stop it now," Alicia replied. "What are we going to do about them?"

Livvi let out a sigh as she turned back to look at the magnemite again. They stopped following them the moment she'd turned back to look at them. "I don't know. It'll be weird if they keep following us all the way to Silver Town."

"Maybe they want to come along with you?" Alicia suggested. "I mean, you helped them get out of that mess."

"Hmm," Livvi replied idly, meeting the magnemite's gaze. There was nothing in their one eye to suggest what they were thinking. She finally pulled out a poké ball and held it out in front of her. "Well, what do you think?"

The magnemite was silent, staring vacantly at the poké ball for a few seconds before finally sweeping forwards. They bumped against the poké ball, which opened with click.

They were sucked inside and the ball closed again with another click. For a couple of seconds, it rolled in Livvi's hand before emitting a final click as the ball sealed.

"Well, that felt anticlimactic!" Alicia grinned. "But congratulations, Livvi!"

"Thanks, I guess," Livvi replied. Despite the unceremonious way it had happened, she was secretly pleased to have made a new friend. "You can be 'Seniry'," she said, addressing the poké ball for a brief second before opening it.

Seniry materialised in the air next to her and gave her a happy nod. They and Evoro briefly exchanged a couple of bolts of electricity. The jolteon didn't exactly looked thrilled with his new team mate, but he could deal with them. Probably.

"I hope they don't get stuck together again!" Alicia said.

"Same here." Livvi nodded. She reached out and patted both pokémon on the head. "Anyway, I guess we should get moving again!"

"Yeah!" Alicia replied cheerfully. "The Lake of Rage isn't going to get to us by itself!"

Livvi smiled over her shoulder at Seniry as they resumed their journey north.

* * *

 **I had lots of fun with this chapter. Since magnemite's big thing is the magnets, it was always going to be something related to that. In the end, I thought it would be a good opportunity to have Evoro out and about as well and had them stick together.**

 **The original plan called for Livvi and Alicia to seek out a 'wizard' who would help Evoro and Seniry separate, which left me with two main options for how to play it: a) an old, eccentric hermit who believes he can do magic, or b) a reclusive tech whiz who just wants to tinker with his gadgets in peace. I choose option a in the end, resulting in Old Fergus, who I hope proved entertaining. What are your thoughts? Did I make the right decision?**

 **As ever, I appreciate any feedback you have on this chapter and don't forget to leave a like on the Facebook page or follow me on Twitter.**

 **Until next time!**

* * *

 **Team Listings:**

 **Livvi Weston:**

 **Active:**

 **Barru** (Ivysaur): male, timid, highly persistent, likes sweet food, grass-poison type, Overgrow ability, knows Double-Edge, Sludge Bomb, Solar Beam and Leech Seed.

 **Evoro** (Jolteon): male, jolly, alert to sounds, likes sweet food, electric type, Volt Absorb ability, knows Thunderbolt, Double Team, Double Kick and Quick Attack.

 **Tavro** (Hypno): male, quirky, loves to eat, eats anything, psychic type, Forewarn ability, knows Psychic, Hypnosis, Future Sight and Headbutt.

 **Litine** (Azumarill): female, mild, good endurance, likes dry food, water type, Thick Fat ability, knows Double-Edge, Rain Dance, Hydro Pump and Rollout.

 **Dacino** (Cyndaquil): male, adamant, loves to eat, likes spicy food, fire type, Blaze ability, knows Flamethrower, Swift, Flame Wheel and Smokescreen.

 **Ferru** (Teddiursa): male, hardy, loves to eat, eats anything, normal type, Pickup ability, knows Feint Attack, Slash, Thrash and Fake Tears.

 **Seniry** (Magnemite): genderless, adamant, a little quick tempered, likes spicy food, steel-electric type, Magnet Pull ability, knows Metal Sound, Spark, Sonic Boom and Supersonic.

 **In Viridian City:**

 **Dorru** (Nidorina): female, quiet, mischievous, likes dry food, poison type, Rivalry ability, knows Fury Swipes, Double Kick, Poison Sting and Crunch.

 **Salea** (Blissey): female, gentle, somewhat vain, likes bitter food, normal type, Natural Cure ability, knows Softboiled, Psychic, Double-Edge and Egg Bomb.

 **Cylune** (Venomoth): male, modest, proud of its power, likes dry food, poison-bug type, Shield Dust ability, knows Stun Spore, Psychic, Toxic and Silver Wind.

 **Alicia Law:**

 **Active:**

 **Ruo** (Meganium): male, naughty, often dozes off, likes spicy food, grass type, Overgrow ability, knows Body Slam, Synthesis, Solar Beam and Safeguard.

 **Pari** (Dunsparce): male, quirky, likes to thrash about, eats anything, normal type, Serene Grace ability, knows Rollout, Screech, Double-Edge and Dig.

 **Saffa** (Magikarp): female, rash, often lost in thought, likes dry food, water type, Swift Swim ability, knows Splash and Tackle.

 **Balva** (Magcargo): male, hasty, a little quick tempered, likes sweet food, fire type, Flame Body ability, knows Protect, Rock Slide, Flamethrower and Body Slam.


	23. The Beast of Veron

**Hello and welcome to another chapter of** _ **Pokémon Journey: Livvi's Johto Scrapbook**_ **!**

 **Last time, Evoro got into a spot of trouble with a wild magnemite that accidentally attached to him via electromagnetism. After managing to separate the two, the magnemite started following Livvi, who caught them and named them Seniry.**

 **Upload Date: 28th November 2018**

* * *

 **Chapter 23: The Beast of Veron**

 _Veron Town, Johto_

 _8:56pm, 3rd June 2006_

"I saw it! I saw it! I really saw it!"

The normal chatter in the trainers' lounge fell away as all the occupants turned to look at the boy who had just run through the door. He was panting heavily, his hair dishevelled and all over the place. He looked as though he'd just run a marathon.

His sudden appearance and outburst had momentarily stunned the others - they all continued to stare at him as he doubled over to gasp for breath.

"Wh-what?" one of the other trainer near him asked.

"The Beast!" the boy shouted, standing up sharply and gazing around the room with a wild look on his face. "The Beast of Veron!"

For a moment, the stunned silence continued as the trainers all looked around at each other, most not knowing how to react. Finally, one of the trainers laughed.

"What do you mean you've 'seen the Beast of Veron'? You sure you're not going mad?"

"I-I saw it!" the boy gasped. "By the foot of the mountain…"

"Dude, the Beast of Veron is just a myth they use to scare little kids. There's no way it actually exists."

"B-but…" the boy stammered. "I saw it...I really did! It came charging out of the trees - I only got away because I distracted it with my bag!"

It was true, the many trainers noted, that this boy wasn't carrying a bag with him - no competent trainer would let themselves get separated from their bag.

"Pfft! You're just getting in a state over nothing!" one of the others replied dismissively. "I've lived here my whole life and I've never once seen the so-called Beast!"

It probably would have been more convincing if he'd been older than twelve. Still, most of the other trainers seemed content to believe him. No one liked the idea that there was some fierce creature out there that could attack them without hesitation.

"Y-yeah!" another trainer called out. "You're probably just tired and got confused! Why don't you sit down and have a rest?"

"I told you!" the boy exclaimed. "I saw it! It attacked me! I only just managed to get away from it! It could come here next!" His voice grew louder and shriller with each sentence.

The trainers' lounge descended into worried whispering as everyone exchanged their thoughts, occasionally throwing looks at the boy - some sceptical, some fearful.

"Look, I guarantee you that there's nothing out there," said the twelve-year-old trainer. "If you're so worried, then how about I come with you to pick up your bag tomorrow morning? I don't mean to brag, but my pokémon are pretty tough!"

Several of the other trainers in the room rolled their eyes. Isaac. He was well-known for being a show-off. It was no surprise that he'd play down rumours about the Beast. Still, it wasn't like the other trainers from this town believed the boy still stood in the doorway anyway.

In any case, the boy seemed relieved by the offer. "Yeah, come with me tomorrow! I'll show you where I saw it."

He was from out of town. The local trainers didn't know him. Could he be exaggerating to show off? It was strange for an outsider to know that particular story, after all.

Not that it mattered that much. The Beast didn't exist - the boy had either been mistaken or was lying.

"I'll meet you back here tomorrow then," said Isaac. "You got a name?"

"Pete," the boy replied.

Now that he seemed placated, everyone started to return to their own conversations. The Beast of Veron quickly vanished from their thoughts.

* * *

 _3:10pm, 4th June 2006_

It was still the middle of the afternoon as Livvi and Alicia walked along the main road leading into Veron Town. It had been an easy and mostly flat walk, but the intense sunlight overhead had made the trip unpleasant regardless. They were looking forwards to having a good rest at the pokémon centre.

Seniry the magnemite was drifting along beside Livvi, constantly jerking and spinning around to look at their surroundings. They occasionally let out an electronic 'bzzt' sound. Every now and again, they would fly close to their new trainer's head and peer closely at her. It had creeped Livvi out at first, but they kept doing it, so she tried to ignore it as best as she could.

"I think we should probably stop here for the night," she said to Alicia as they approached the pokémon centre. "I don't want to walk in this anymore and we'll be able to get to the Lake of Rage tomorrow anyway."

"I'm fine with that," Alicia replied.

They entered the pokémon centre and quickly booked a room for the night. After that, they briefly stopped by the videophones so that Alicia could call her mum and they could both check with Nathan to see if there'd been any sightings of Robert. Livvi also called her mum so that she could send Evoro's poké ball back to Viridian City. With these tasks completed, they were about to head on up to their room when a couple of boys came running through the entrance, a beaten-up bag clutched in their hands.

"I...I told you!" the younger of the two stuttered as he fought to regain his breath. "I told you!"

"Yeah, whatever," the older boy replied. Though his tone was dismissive, he looked pretty rattled.

"Ooh, you're back? How'd it go?" one of the trainers in the lounge came out to see them. She froze at the sight of the torn-up bag. "Wh-what did that?"

"It was the Beast!" the younger boy shouted.

The girl looked incredulously at the older boy, who sheepishly gave a nod.

"Yeah, I saw it too this time - didn't get a good look at it, but it was big. Might have got us too, if not for my quick thinking!"

"There really is a beast?" the girl mumbled, going a little pale. "I'm definitely staying in tonight."

"Are you kidding?" the older boy demanded. "If we don't hunt it down and stop it now, then it'll come back and attack again!" He stuck his head through into the trainers' lounge. "I'm going to head back out and make sure the Beast never comes back here - who's with me?"

There didn't seem to be many takers.

"Of course no one's going to be interested in something like that," Livvi muttered to herself.

"Is there some kind of beast in this area?" Alicia asked curiously.

"There's nothing on the town map," Livvi replied. "And I think I'd have heard about it if it were real."

"What about the bag though?" Alicia asked quietly, nodding in the direction of the younger boy's bag.

"Alicia, Ferru could do that to my bag if he wanted to get at our food," Livvi said, giving her a look. "If you leave your bag lying around outside, then sooner or later a pokémon is going to show up and tear it open."

"Still, doesn't the idea of a mysterious beast in the wild sound exciting?" Alicia asked, her eyes starting to shine. "I wonder what kind of pokémon it could be…"

As they started walking towards the staircase, they suddenly heard someone behind them.

"Hey, you two! I don't think I've seen you around here before."

It was the older boy.

"If you're trying to get us to help you with that 'Beast', then give it up," Livvi replied sharply, guessing what he was after.

"No, not at all!" he replied with a cocky grin. "I thought you might like to come along and watch me deal with it!"

"That sounds even less appealing!" Livvi said coolly, turning away from him. "C'mon, Alicia. Let's go."

Alicia remained where she was stood though. "Hey," she said. "Does this beast really exist?"

"I know what you're thinking!" the boy said dramatically. "I'm just making this up to get attention, right?"

"Yeah," Livvi breathed, just loud enough for Alicia to hear her.

"Well, that's not it!" the boy continued. "I was just helping out another trainer, like the good person I am, when I heard this loud sound from the trees at the foot of the mountain. I looked around, and then I saw it!"

"The beast?" Alicia asked eagerly.

"That's right!" The boy nodded, a stupid grin forming on his face in delight at getting a good reaction. "I only caught a glimpse - a great big hulking shape, a bit like a bear, lurking in the darkness! It ran away when I yelled though, so don't worry - I can handle it!"

"Then why don't you handle it by yourself?" Livvi snapped. She tugged on Alicia's arm. "Come on, Alicia."

Alicia pulled back. "Doesn't this sound exciting though, Livvi?" she asked. "If the Beast really does exist, then…"

"If you want to pitch in, then we could use all the help we can get," the boy replied. "The name's Isaac. What's yours?"

"I'm Alicia," Alicia said.

"Livvi," Livvi added stiffly.

"Nice to meet you both!" Isaac grinned. "I'm planning to set out for the mountain soon - want to come and meet the others?"

"There are other people doing this?" Livvi asked in surprise, reluctantly following Alicia as she set off after Isaac.

"Sure there are!" Isaac replied. "I'll introduce you!"

Over by the entrance, the younger boy with the broken bag was now stood with another older boy and a girl about the same age as Livvi. He waved to Isaac as he got closer.

"This is Pete," Isaac said, gesturing to the younger boy. "He's the one who first found the Beast." He turned to the others. "Guys, this is Alicia and Livvi."

"Nice to meet you!" Pete said, trying to sound more confident than he obviously felt.

"I'm Alfie," said the other older boy. "I'm always up for a challenge!"

"And I'm Paula," said the girl. "Pleased to meet you!"

"What's the plan then?" Alicia asked, looking around eagerly.

"Pete and I can take you to where we first saw the Beast," Isaac replied. "We'll set off immediately!"

Livvi groaned as the others started trooping out of the pokémon centre. She wanted to rest, not chase myths around the mountain! Still, she didn't want to leave Alicia out there without her, so she reluctantly followed them out of the building.

* * *

 _4:49pm, 4th June 2006_

It turned out that Isaac's "brilliant" plan had been for them to divide into two groups of three and head off in different directions to look for any signs of the Beast. Aside from a couple of footprints and scratch marks near where he and Pete said they'd recovered the bag that Pete had lost the previous evening, there was no sign of what they were looking for.

After Isaac had then explained his plan, Paula had immediately volunteered to join his team. Isaac had wanted to complete his group with Alicia, but Livvi had insisted on taking her place instead so that she could keep an eye on him. Instead, Alicia went with Alfie and Pete.

"Let Ruffle know if you spot anything!" Isaac had called, gesturing to his fearow who he'd sent out to fly overhead earlier.

After that, the two groups had gone their separate ways, scouting out the forested slopes on the lower part of the mountain. Isaac was convinced that the Beast couldn't have gotten far and would be easy for him and his pokémon to defeat. He seemed less confident than he'd been back at the pokémon centre, but Paula was hanging off his every word and kept agreeing and nodding at all his suggestions. Livvi was starting to think that she'd made the wrong decision coming with this group.

Sighing as she continued listening to Isaac continue blabbing about his plans to deal with the Beast, Livvi wondered if Alicia was having better luck with her group at finding this mythical creature. At the rate they were going, it was going to be late by the time they finished this pointless hunt. The forest was already getting darker around them.

She seriously considered leaving Isaac and Paula to it, but decided better of it. One of the group members suddenly disappearing would only make them more excitable and Alicia would get worried if she heard about it. There wasn't really much of a choice except to keep going and hope that Isaac would be satisfied soon.

* * *

 _6:10pm, 4th June 2006_

"It's really starting to get dark, huh?" Pete said, trying to sound less scared that he was.

"Sure is," Alfie replied, still sounding somewhat cheerful.

"Still no sign of the Beast," Alicia sighed in disappointment, peering around a tree trunk and into the gloom.

They'd reached the steeper and rockier slopes of the mountain, which Alicia had insisted on walking to since the Beast was more likely to be hiding in a place like this - far away from other people.

"M-maybe we should head back," Pete suggested. "If we couldn't find the Beast, then we should just get more help from the other trainers tomorrow."

"Uh-huh," Alfie replied dismissively, following Alicia as she walked up a small stone path leading further up the mountain. He seemed more frustrated than anything - like Alicia, he'd been on the lookout for this Beast all afternoon and desperately wanted his patience to be rewarded.

He kept talking about how he was going to defeat the Beast with his pokémon though, which Alicia was less keen on. She wanted to see this creature for herself and she was worried that Alfie would chase it off before she got a good chance to watch it.

"I-I'm putting my torch on!" Pete called, jogging to catch up with them as they threatened to vanish into the gloom.

"I guess we should as well," Alfie added, pulling out his own torch.

"Yeah," Alicia replied idly. Shrugging off her bag, she opened it and pulled out her torch. It was getting difficult to see her own feet in the darkness, let alone the Beast.

They continued walking along a fairly narrow ledge at the top of a rocky cliff. Below them was only darkness - they couldn't make out the bottom this late in the day.

"Don't you think that we should head back and meet up with the others?" Pete asked anxiously. "We can't even see Ruffle anymore…"

"Keep quiet!" Alicia hissed back. "You might scare the Beast off!"

"I don't see that as a problem…" Pete muttered. His eyes suddenly widened. "D-Did you guys hear that?"

"What are you…" Then Alicia heard it too. A low rumbling sound. In the darkness and with all the cliffs around, it was hard for her to pinpoint exactly where it was coming from.

"I recognise that sound!" Pete squeaked. "It must be the Beast!"

"Where is it though?" Alicia murmured.

"Dunno," Alfie replied quietly.

At that moment, they heard a far louder, rumbling roar from somewhere close. All three of them jumped.

"It's close!" Alicia gasped.

"Let's get out of here!" Pete replied, scrambling back the way they'd come.

"Y-Yeah, I'm with you," Alfie added, losing his nerve now that the Beast was actually close.

The sound got louder and all three of them broke into a run. Fascinated as she was, Alicia wasn't keen to meet the Beast in the dark.

"Wait up, guys!" she called after Pete and Alfie, who'd picked up speed and whose torchlights were already quite a distance ahead of her. She rushed forwards to try and catch up with them.

Her stomach lurched with horror as she suddenly felt her foot sink through what she'd thought was a part of the ledge. She could only utter a gasp of surprise as she slipped sideways, her brain registering what was going on too late to correct her mistake.

And then she was falling.

She felt the air rushing around her, the Beast's roar echoing in her ear, mixed with her own scream, as she plunged down into the darkness.

* * *

Livvi had known something was wrong the moment she'd seen the lights of only two torches approaching them as they waited by the footpath back into town.

"What happened?" Isaac asked anxiously as Pete and Alfie emerged from the darkness, exhausted and out of breath. Even he could tell that something was up.

"We heard it!" Pete gasped. "We heard it, Isaac!"

"Further up the slopes!" Alfie added breathlessly. "Had to run for it!"

"Where's Alicia?" Livvi asked, desperately looking back the way they'd come. There was still no sign of a third torchlight.

"I thought she was right behind us…" Pete said, turning pale.

"I think the Beast got her," Alfie muttered. "I thought I could hear her screaming behind us."

There was silence for a second.

"And you just left her there?" Livvi asked quietly.

When neither Alfie nor Pete responded to her, she turned sharply and started marching back towards the mountain. Isaac and Paula quickly rushed forwards to stop her.

"What are you doing?" Isaac cried. "It's too late to go back out there now!"

"I know how you feel, Livvi, but we can't do anything in the dark!" Paula added as she grabbed Livvi's right arm and held her back.

"But she could still be out there, injured for all we know!" Livvi shouted. "We can't just sit around and wait until morning!"

"P-Police!" Pete stuttered. "We should go to the police - they can look for her!"

Livvi tensed up. Alicia might panic if the police were involved. She could still remember how jittery she'd been when they'd had to go to the police station in Ecruteak City after their encounter with Robert. Alicia was the daughter of a criminal and had been brought up on the wrong side of the law, after all.

On the other hand, the thought that this might somehow involve Robert hadn't escaped Livvi either. If that was the case, then perhaps getting the police involved would be better after all…

"Not even the police would go out up the mountain in the middle of the night," Alfie said. "They'll say it's too dangerous to go now anyway."

"That's right!" Isaac nodded. "And the Beast is still out there as well - it's better to wait until tomorrow morning, when we can see!"

"She'll be alright, Livvi," Paula said gently. "It's the summer, so it's warm out. And you're taking on the Johto League, so I'm sure her pokémon are tough enough to fight off the Beast."

"Yeah…" Livvi replied hollowly, thinking of Saffa.

But she let herself be guided away from the forest and back towards the pokémon centre, cursing herself for letting herself get separated from Alicia in the first place.

* * *

 _6:46am, 5th June 2006_

Alicia blearily opened her eyes. The last thing she could remember was slipping from the top of the cliff. Fearing the worst, she tried moving her arms and legs. Aside from a few aches and some stiffness, everything seemed to be working.

She breathed a sigh of relief. She'd expected to have at least broken something if not worse.

As her eyes adjusted, she realised that she was lying in a cave. Light was seeping in from the entrance not far from where she was lying. She must have been unconscious in this cave for the whole night!

She scrambled up to her knees and looked around. The cave was empty apart from a large pile of berries stashed not far from the entrance. There was no opening overhead - she couldn't have fallen directly in here. Someone, or something, had brought her here.

Just as that thought crossed her mind, she thought she heard movement from outside. The sound of large footsteps approached and the sun from outside was suddenly cut off as a large creature lumbered into the cave entrance. Clutching another small pile of berries, it peered at Alicia with a look that seemed half-concerned and half-annoyed.

"…The Beast?" Alicia murmured to herself, gaping up at the pokémon. Though it was big, it didn't look as scary as she'd expected. She pulled out her Pokédex.

" _Snorlax, the sleeping pokémon and the evolved form of munchlax. A snorlax's day consists of little more than sleeping and eating. It is such a docile pokémon that there are children who use its big belly as a place to play._ "

"That doesn't sound much like a beast…" Alicia muttered, looking back up at the snorlax.

He gave her an unimpressed look upon hearing the word 'beast' and dropped the berries he was carrying into the main pile. He waved his arm lazily at them and then turned to leave the cave again.

"W-wait a second!" Alicia scrambled to her feet and staggered after him. "Are you saying I can have these?"

The snorlax turned back and nodded.

"Aren't you having any?" Alicia asked.

The snorlax gave her an appraising look for a second before shrugging his shoulders and sitting down with a loud crash. He grabbed a handful of berries and tossed them into his huge mouth.

Alicia cautiously picked up a sitrus berry and bit into it. It wasn't as firm as a normal ripe sitrus berry should be, and the taste felt a little off as well, but she didn't complain.

While they were eating, Alicia started asking the snorlax some questions and got some half-hearted mimes in response. When she asked how she'd ended up in the cave, he had pointed upwards and then pointed to his belly.

The pieces quickly fell into place after that. The snorlax lived in this cave, but ranged around the mountain looking for food. He was probably what Pete and Isaac had seen the previous day and he was also probably the one who'd broken Pete's bag.

When Alicia had fallen from the cliff in the darkness the previous evening, the snorlax had been asleep at the bottom and she'd landed directly on his stomach. The sound that had spooked her, Alfie and Pete had been the large pokémon's loud snores. After checking that she was still alive, he had carried her into the cave and lain her on the floor for the night.

The snorlax himself seemed as docile as the Pokédex entry had claimed, but it seemed that the local children were all scared of him, having been fed the stories about the Beast of Veron. It made him cranky and moody most of the time. He seemed to warm to Alicia though, perhaps because she'd relaxed now that she'd gotten over the surprise and shock of waking up somewhere unfamiliar.

"I guess you get pretty lonely sometimes, huh?" Alicia asked, smiling sadly as she and the snorlax picked up the last berries. "I know what it's like."

The snorlax grunted curiously as he swallowed the berries.

"Back in Cherrygrove City, people would always say: 'you shouldn't talk to that girl. Don't you know that her family are involved with Team Rocket?' Trying to make friends was almost impossible, and no one ever wanted to come to my house…" Alicia sighed. "I guess it's kind of the same as what happened to you, in a way."

The snorlax grunted again.

"I should probably try and find my way back to town," Alicia said, pulling herself back to her feet. "Livvi will be worried about me."

As she pulled her bag back on and got ready to leave, she noticed that the snorlax looked a little down. Was he sad to see her go? She could understand that as well - friends were hard to come by sometimes.

He hauled himself up and shuffled over to make room for her to reach the cave entrance. As she walked past him, she was momentarily dazzled by the bright light outside. She paused in the entrance and, biting her lip, she spun around to face him.

"Hey," she said awkwardly. "Do you want to come along with me?"

The snorlax gave her a surprised look and grunted.

"I'm a pokémon trainer," Alicia explained. "I travel around and gather pokémon to fight on my team. I was kinda hoping that if I beat the Johto League, then people would start talking about that instead of about my family." She smiled at him. "Maybe if we work together, then the same will happen for you?"

The snorlax was silent as he considered her proposal. After a couple of seconds, he finally gave a grunt and a nod. He held out his hand.

"Let's show everyone who we really are, together!" Alicia grinned at him, pulling out an empty poké ball. She tapped it against the snorlax's outstretched hand.

There was a whoosh as he was converted to energy and disappeared inside the tiny ball. With a click, it sealed shut again.

No sooner had it sealed, Alicia quickly let the snorlax back out. "I'll call you…" She paused for a second to think. "I think…'Drineb' has a nice ring to it."

Drineb watched her as she resumed her walk out of the cave and trudged after her. He cast one final look back at his cave. For better or worse, this place had been his home for a long time. Saying goodbye felt…odd.

"First we need to find our way out of this gorge," Alicia said, glancing around at the rocky cliffs around them. "Where should I go, Drineb?"

Brushing past her, Drineb slowly walked ahead, looking around at the surrounding scenery. He finally nodded and called out to her. He waved his hand in the direction of a portion of the rocks that looked climbable.

"Lead on then!" Alicia grinned.

* * *

 _8:34am, 5th June 2006_

The walk back from the mountain took Alicia longer than she remembered it. For a time, she walked alongside Drineb, getting to know him a bit better. He seemed quite active compared to his Pokédex entry. It just went to show that there were always exceptions to the norm.

When they started getting closer to the town, Alicia returned Drineb to his ball. They didn't want to cause a scene when they got back, and Alicia got the feeling that Drineb was tired of that sort of attention anyway.

"Whew! We're finally back," she said as she trudged out of the treeline and back out into the open valley.

"Alicia!"

At the sound of her name, Alicia turned to the left and spotted the others all running towards her. Livvi was in the lead. She ran straight to her and threw her arms around her.

"Livvi?" Alicia was caught off-guard for a moment. Then it dawned on her that she'd been out overnight. They'd probably been worried about her.

"Are you alright?" Livvi asked, blinking back tears as she kept holding her tightly. "I wanted to find you last night, but it was too dangerous…"

"I'm fine," Alicia replied. "I just got lost on my way back."

"You're not too cold are you?" Livvi asked, finally pulling back. "Are you hungry…?"

"Never mind that!" Isaac exclaimed. "Pete and Alfie said that you guys heard the Beast! Did you find it?"

"Oh yeah, I remember hearing that odd roar," Alicia said vaguely. "But I didn't see anything and it stopped not long afterwards. I didn't find anything during the night or this morning either."

"That means it's still out there!" Pete squeaked. "I really think we should tell someone this time!"

"No way! I can take it on myself!" Isaac replied. He turned back to Livvi and Alicia. "You up for another trip into the woods?"

"Alicia needs rest," Livvi replied scornfully, drawing her closer. "And we need to get on the road to the Lake of Rage as well."

"Eh, I guess it can't be helped then," Isaac said with a shrug. "I'm glad you're alright though, Alicia. Don't worry, I'll make sure that the Beast isn't a threat to anyone else!"

"Good luck," Alicia replied, fighting hard to keep her face straight. She and Livvi watched as Isaac, Pete, Alfie and Paula ran off back to the forest's edge to resume their search for the Beast of Veron. As they disappeared from sight, the two girls turned and started making their way back to the pokémon centre. Alicia felt that she should probably tell Livvi about what had really happened.

But that could probably wait until she'd had a proper rest first!

* * *

 **I took the opportunity to do some more delving into Alicia's background and to develop her slightly more as a character this chapter. I'm hoping to explore some of the themes of this chapter in more detail in the rewrite, so this is also a good yardstick for the future.**

 **As ever, I appreciate any feedback you have on this chapter and don't forget to leave a like on the Facebook page and follow me on Twitter.**

 **Until next time!**

* * *

 **Team Listings:**

 **Livvi Weston:**

 **Active:**

 **Barru** (Ivysaur): male, timid, highly persistent, likes sweet food, grass-poison type, Overgrow ability, knows Double-Edge, Sludge Bomb, Solar Beam and Leech Seed.

 **Tavro** (Hypno): male, quirky, loves to eat, eats anything, psychic type, Forewarn ability, knows Psychic, Hypnosis, Future Sight and Headbutt.

 **Litine** (Azumarill): female, mild, good endurance, likes dry food, water type, Thick Fat ability, knows Double-Edge, Rain Dance, Hydro Pump and Rollout.

 **Dacino** (Cyndaquil): male, adamant, loves to eat, likes spicy food, fire type, Blaze ability, knows Flamethrower, Swift, Flame Wheel and Smokescreen.

 **Ferru** (Teddiursa): male, hardy, loves to eat, eats anything, normal type, Pickup ability, knows Feint Attack, Slash, Thrash and Fake Tears.

 **Seniry** (Magnemite): genderless, adamant, a little quick tempered, likes spicy food, steel-electric type, Magnet Pull ability, knows Metal Sound, Spark, Sonic Boom and Supersonic.

 **In Viridian City:**

 **Dorru** (Nidorina): female, quiet, mischievous, likes dry food, poison type, Rivalry ability, knows Fury Swipes, Double Kick, Poison Sting and Crunch.

 **Salea** (Blissey): female, gentle, somewhat vain, likes bitter food, normal type, Natural Cure ability, knows Softboiled, Psychic, Double-Edge and Egg Bomb.

 **Cylune** (Venomoth): male, modest, proud of its power, likes dry food, poison-bug type, Shield Dust ability, knows Stun Spore, Psychic, Toxic and Silver Wind.

 **Evoro** (Jolteon): male, jolly, alert to sounds, likes sweet food, electric type, Volt Absorb ability, knows Thunderbolt, Double Team, Double Kick and Quick Attack.

 **Alicia Law:**

 **Active:**

 **Ruo** (Meganium): male, naughty, often dozes off, likes spicy food, grass type, Overgrow ability, knows Body Slam, Synthesis, Solar Beam and Safeguard.

 **Pari** (Dunsparce): male, quirky, likes to thrash about, eats anything, normal type, Serene Grace ability, knows Rollout, Screech, Double-Edge and Dig.

 **Saffa** (Magikarp): female, rash, often lost in thought, likes dry food, water type, Swift Swim ability, knows Splash and Tackle.

 **Balva** (Magcargo): male, hasty, a little quick tempered, likes sweet food, fire type, Flame Body ability, knows Protect, Rock Slide, Flamethrower and Body Slam.

 **Drineb** (Snorlax): male, adamant, scatters things often, likes spicy food, normal type, Thick Fat ability, knows Rest, Body Slam, Brick Break and Rollout.


	24. Test

**Hello and welcome to another chapter of** _ **Pokémon Journey: Livvi's Johto Scrapbook**_ **!**

 **Last time, Alicia inadvertently solved the mystery of a beast that was roaming the mountains around Veron Town and made a new friend in the process.**

 **Upload Date: 13th December 2018**

* * *

 **Chapter 24: Test**

 _Lake of Rage, Johto_

 _3:21pm, 5th June 2006_

The journey up to the Lake of Rage gave Alicia the chance to tell Livvi all about what happened during her stay on the mountain the previous night. Both of them had chuckled at the idea that the so-called 'beast' that Isaac and his friends were chasing after was now in Alicia's possession.

"I guess he'd be pretty scary if you saw him in the darkness," Livvi had said when Alicia showed her Drineb's poké ball. "I can't believe that anyone would make that mistake if they actually saw him though."

Though she'd had a chance to catch up on some sleep before they'd set off, Alicia was still exhausted and was glad that the journey up to the Lake of Rage didn't take them too long. It was a lovely flat road as well, which she found herself more grateful for than she'd originally expected.

"Look at it!" Livvi called out excitedly as they walked down the street towards the lakefront. "It's so beautiful!"

"Yeah," Alicia murmured as they reached the railings and looked out over the lake. It looked calm and peaceful, and it stretched out so far that they couldn't even see the other side in some places. There wasn't a bigger lake anywhere else in the country. "Why's it called the Lake of Rage?" she asked.

"I guessed you'd ask that," Livvi replied with a grin. "Apparently, there are lots of gyarados that live in the depths of the lake. Sometimes, they go on a rampage and cause storms over here."

"Sounds scary," Alicia replied, shuddering. "I'd hate to see it myself."

"I think it happens more in the winter," Livvi said reassuringly. "I don't think you have anything to worry about!" She paused as she started folding up the town map again. "By the way, have you introduced Drineb to the rest of your team yet?"

"We didn't really get a chance before," Alicia replied. She pulled out her five poké balls and released the pokémon inside.

Ruo, Pari and Balva all looked at Drineb with interest as soon as they'd all materialised. Saffa flopped about on the ground, her wild-looking eyes occasionally darting over to the snorlax.

"Guys, this is our new friend, Drineb," Alicia explained to her older team members. She turned back to Drineb. "These are your new team mates, Drineb: Ruo, Pari, Saffa and Balva." She gestured to each one of them as she said their names. "We're going to be working together to get to the Johto League from now on, so make sure you all get along with each other!"

The pokémon all nodded in reply, except for Saffa, who simply splashed slightly higher into the air instead.

"Looks like a good start," Livvi said to Alicia as the pokémon gathered together to investigate each other. Though there seemed to be a little bit of uncertainty at the start, they quickly seemed to start relaxing. Being able to trust teammates was important, even if the pokémon themselves mostly fought alone.

"I kinda looking forwards to doing some training together soon," said Alicia.

"That'll be a good test," Livvi replied. "Anyway, I'm going to go and buy us some ice cream. What do you want?"

"Oh, I can come too…" Alicia began.

"Nah, you stay and rest," Livvi replied. "I know that today's walk took a lot out of you."

"I didn't have a lot to begin with," Alicia sighed. She still seemed reluctant, but gratefully sat down on a beach overlooking the lake as Livvi set off.

* * *

 _3:36pm, 5th June 2006_

The sun continued beating down today and the weather was warm and pleasant. Looking forwards to her ice cream, Alicia had gone down to the stony shore and taken off her shoes to go paddling in the refreshingly cool water. She'd also thought it would be a good opportunity for Saffa to spend some time in the water. The magikarp looked like she was enjoying herself, though it was difficult to tell sometimes.

Ruo had come splashing in to join them as well, but the other three were content to laze about on the warm stones on the shore. It was a peaceful scene. Alicia couldn't help but let her worries go as she splashed around with Ruo and Saffa, laughing as they played around.

When Livvi returned with the ice creams, Alicia came back to the shore, treading carefully on the sometimes-pointy stones underfoot. Together, the two of them sat below the lakefront and watched the sparkling water as they ate their ice creams.

Ruo continued playing around in the water for a short while before coming back to join them. He looked like he wanted to laze around on the beach as well - it was good weather for absorbing sunlight.

"I guess we should probably start planning our route towards Silver Town," Livvi said as she finished her ice cream. "It'll be a long trip - we'll have to make sure we've got plenty of supplies."

"We still have one more gym to defeat, haven't we?" Alicia asked.

"Yeah." Livvi nodded. "Don't worry though. I've found a city with a pokémon gym on the map. It's called Blackthorn City and it's in the mountains directly north of Mt. Silver."

"It'll take a while to get there, then," said Alicia, remembering how long the route through the mountains was.

"More time for us to train and get ready," Livvi replied with a grin.

"That's-" Before Alicia had the chance to respond, they suddenly heard a drawn-out groaning noise. Over in the shallows of the lakeshore, Saffa had stopped swimming around and was floating on her side at the surface, occasionally twitching slightly.

"Something's up!" Livvi exclaimed, jumping to her feet.

The magikarp suddenly stopped twitching and was aggressively encircled by a swirling mass of bright light. She grew bigger and longer, but seemed to be writhing around in pain as her body changed. Both Alicia and Livvi stumbled back as they took in the large size Saffa was growing to.

Finally, there was a loud, angry roar as the light burst. The difference was hard to comprehend at first. Magikarp weren't impressive pokémon: they were small, dopey and almost entirely harmless. The monster that Saffa had turned into was huge and was starting to thrash around aggressively.

"Saffa?" Alicia called desperately. She waved her arms to try and attract the gyarados's attention. "Saffa! You've got to calm down!"

If Saffa could hear her, then she ignored her.

There was a flash of light as she suddenly fired a powerful beam of energy from her mouth. Above them, they heard the sound of an explosion.

"We've got to defeat her!" Livvi called to Alicia. "Otherwise she might cause some real damage!"

"G-got it!" Alicia replied hesitantly. She stepped forwards and gathered the rest of her team around her. It was clear that Saffa wasn't herself. Though she'd been getting tough in recent weeks, Alicia didn't believe that she'd been ready to evolve - something had forced her into doing this and it was driving her mad.

Still, something had to be done to stop her.

"Use Rock Slide!" she called to Balva. "Drineb, Pari, I want you to try and draw Saffa's attention! Ruo, start preparing a Solar Beam!"

All giving her nods, her pokémon leapt into action and started fighting to restrain Saffa, whose wild attacks were starting to spiral in all directions. Rain clouds and strong winds were starting to sweep around her.

"We can help as well!" Livvi called, pulling out several of her poké balls. There was a series of pops as Barru, Tavro and Seniry emerged from their balls and materialised on the ground.

They quickly sprang into action, with Barru running over to join Ruo and start charging up a Solar Beam. Tavro, meanwhile, tightened his concentration as he attempted to restrain Saffa with his psychic power. Seniry fired a series of sonic blasts towards the gyarados before cloaking itself in electricity and surging forwards bravely.

"Balva, use Protect!" Alicia shouted as she spotted Saffa charging up another powerful attack.

Balva nodded and crawled forwards, surrounding himself with a pale blue shield. Saffa's attack struck him directly, but was quickly absorbed and contained by his defence.

To the relief of all, these powerful blasts were taking a lot out of the newly-evolved pokémon and she had to pause between each one to summon up her energy again.

Still, her new power was stunning to see. It was hard to believe that a weak and, frankly, useless pokémon could suddenly gain this much power in an instant. Despite the best efforts of the pokémon, she was still fighting through their attempts to restrain her by force.

"We need to deal with this quickly!" Livvi shouted to Alicia. "Get Ruo and Barru ready to fire - Seniry and I will try to draw her attention!"

"G-got it!" Alicia nodded. She shared a glance with Ruo and Barru as Livvi and Seniry prepared to move.

* * *

"I can't quite believe that the machine worked."

"It's amazing, isn't it? Imagine the power we could unleash if use it on all the magikarp in the lake!"

"I think we've still got a long way to go before that - the radio waves didn't affect the wild magikarp. I'm guessing that that trainer's magikarp was close to evolving anyway…"

"You okay, Rob? You've been pretty quiet considering you're the one who organised this whole test."

"I was just thinking what a strange coincidence it is," Robert Law replied, turning to look at his companions. "That pokémon belongs to my little sister."

The other three, all young men in their early-to-mid twenties, looked at each other before peering attentively at the shore through their binoculars.

"No way! It actually _is_ Alicia as well!"

"Looks like she's trying to calm it down. I guess that's understandable if you don't know what's happening."

They were all currently hidden in a small, abandoned building nestled amongst the tree-covered shore of a large island in the lake. A safe distance from the rampaging gyarados, but close enough that they could observe what was happening with relative ease. Behind them was a whirring machine connected to a radio mast. Though they couldn't hear it themselves, it was continuing to broadcast radio waves towards the shore of the lake.

"That reminds me, didn't you say that Alicia would be onboard for a job back in Ecruteak City?" one of the young men asked Robert. There was the slightest hint of smugness in his tone.

"Why don't you shut up, Jacob!" Robert snapped, his eyes flashing dangerously. "She…wasn't as keen as I thought."

"Aren't you tetchy," Jacob said, grinning. "I guess you _did_ manage to screw two jobs at once!"

Robert lunged at him and was only stopped from punching Jacob as one of their companions quickly restrained him.

"Focus on the mission, you two!" he barked. "Now's not the time for petty squabbles!"

"Ain't we got all the data we need, Dave?" the other man asked.

"Not yet, Boris," Dave replied. "We still need to see how long the enraged gyarados can continue fighting before it's subdued. It may well be possible to refine the machine further before it eventually goes into action."

"You say that like it's gonna happen soon," Boris sighed, returning to looking at the gyarados as it thrashed around. "Team Rocket don't even exist anymore."

"It'll return!" Robert said sharply. "And when it does, the boss will reward us for our work here."

"Exactly." Dave nodded. "So stay focused and keep an eye on the gyarados!"

Robert returned to his binoculars and looked over at the gyarados. He tried to focus on it, but continually found his gaze drifting to Alicia as she desperately ordered her pokémon around. A dark fury flashed across his mind as he remembered how she'd defied him back in Ecruteak City, as though she'd forgotten everything he'd taught her over the years.

She was valuable though. She had all the skills to help out on the majority of the jobs he took these days and was small enough to get into spaces he couldn't. It was harder for him to trick people now as well - he wasn't a kid anymore, but a young man. Alicia was still a little girl and more able to gain people's trust. He'd find a way to break her spirit and bring her back into the fold.

As he watched the shoreline, he noticed the other figure on the beach. He hadn't paid much attention to her before, but now that he looked more closely, he thought she seemed familiar. He remembered that there'd been a young girl with the police when they'd tracked him and Alicia down, though he hadn't gotten a good look at her in the chaos as he'd made his escape. If she was here as well, then perhaps she was travelling with Alicia? That could complicate things.

He made a mental note to find out more about this girl as he continued observing the battle at the shoreline.

* * *

"It's no good - Saffa's just too strong!" Alicia cried in desperation as Pari and Balva were hurled back and crashed into the wall behind them.

"Hold on just a bit longer!" Livvi shouted. "We've almost got it!"

As she spoke, Barru and Ruo finished charging up another pair of Solar Beams. With loud shouts, they both released the energy they'd stored up and sent a pair of bright beams of light firing upwards. Both hit Saffa directly and stunned her for a brief moment before she continued thrashing.

But Alicia could finally see that they were making progress. Saffa was slowly weakening and they were getting closer to bringing her back under control.

"Use Body Slam!" she called to Drineb, who nodded and hurled himself towards Saffa. He smashed into her and sent both of them toppling into the lake with a large splash. The pair of them thrashed about for a couple of seconds, sending water flying everywhere.

"Look out!" Livvi screamed as Drineb was suddenly hurled back through the air. She and Alicia, as well as the pokémon, all dived to the side. There was a loud crunch as the snorlax smashed into the wall and slumped down to join Balva and Pari.

Things were starting to get serious. The more Saffa struggled, the more damage she was doing and the more damage they seemed to be doing to her to get her to stop. The roars of pain were starting to get too much for her to take.

As Saffa was hit by another pair of Solar Beams fired by Ruo and Barru, she let out another roar of pain and crashed down into the shallows, sending water flying everywhere. Still, she struggled to try and pull herself up again.

Alicia looked into the gyarados's eyes and, with a jolt in her stomach, recognised the pain there. Pain at being hit by attacks, but also a deeper pain. Her body had changed suddenly and without warning. She was startled, confused. She didn't know what was happening and had panicked.

Alicia's legs moved automatically. Before even she had fully registered what she was doing, she had started running towards Saffa's now-large head. She scarcely heard Livvi's sharp cry of "Alicia!" as she fastened her arms around either side of the gyarados's face and leaned closer.

"It's okay," she whispered. "I'm here."

It was a tense couple of seconds as her and Saffa's eyes met. Then Saffa blinked furiously as if straining against something and finally seemed to relax. She allowed herself to slump down. Though her eyes were still full of pain, much of the confusion had gone.

"Come on," Alicia said gently, holding up her poké ball. "Come back to the ball and we'll go to the pokémon centre. They can help."

Saffa nodded as the recall beam struck her. In an instant, the air grew still again as she disappeared back into the ball, leaving only silence over the battered lakeside.

* * *

"Well, it didn't last anywhere near as long as I was hoping!" Boris grumbled as he sat back from the broken window. "Didn't even manage to wreck the lakefront!"

"Do you only see value in destruction?" Jacob asked, raising an eyebrow. "How uncouth."

"Well, that's the whole idea of this, ain't it?" Boris replied angrily. "Creating distractions using-"

"That's enough, both of you!" Dave said firmly. "We've gathered all the data that we need here. I'm sure that Nigel will be able to refine the machine to make it more effective based on what we've found."

"Will we ever use this though?" Jacob asked. "It seems like a rather niche device."

"I'm sure that the boss will find some use for it when he returns," Dave replied. "Anyway, we're done here. Turn off the machine and get it packed up. I want us out of here in fifteen minutes."

While the others scrambled to follow Dave's instructions, Robert lingered for a couple of seconds, his binoculars fixed on the beach, where the other girl was now hugging Alicia. Clearly, this was someone who Alicia had gotten close to.

"Dave," he said, standing up and walking over to join the young man. "You're good at getting information, right?" He already knew the answer: this was just an indirect way to start the discussion.

"What are you after?" Dave asked suspiciously.

"That other girl who was on the beach with my sister," Robert said. "I want to know everything about her."

Dave cast a look back towards the beach. "Robert, I'm not wasting my time on your little schemes. If you want to bring your sister back, then you have to do it by yourself."

Robert reached up and grabbed his shoulder. "You owe me," he said fiercely. "Remember who bailed you out back in Goldenrod?"

Dave's face contorted unpleasantly. "Fine." He pulled his shoulder sharply from Robert's grip. "I'll get you your information, but consider that debt repaid!"

"That's fine," Robert replied icily. "I'm sure there'll be another opportunity to fix one of your blunders."

"Get to work on the machine!" Dave snarled. "Don't speak to me again until everything's packed away!"

Robert trudged over to join Jacob and Boris, who were busily attempting to disassemble the machine. Calling in the favour Dave owed him was a blow, but it would be worth it if he could turf up some information that would help Robert bring Alicia back into the fold. He couldn't allow there to be another person who his little sister could rely on - it had to be just him and him alone.

* * *

 _7:39pm, 5th June 2006_

As Alicia had managed to calm Saffa and return her to her poké ball, other trainers and an officer from the local police station had arrived on the scene. Though both she and Livvi had attempted to explain the situation - that Saffa must have been forced to evolve by something and the resulting confusion made the violent tendencies of a gyarados even worse - it didn't seem like the policeman believed them and it was all the two of them could do to stop him confiscating Saffa's poké ball right then and there.

Livvi had managed to convince him to let Alicia take Saffa to the pokémon centre for a check-up, but then they'd both been hauled off to the police station to answer questions about what had happened. In the end, a report back from the pokémon centre revealed that Saffa's evolution had indeed been induced forcefully and was responsible for her behaviour. Separately, a report had come in of odd radio waves coming from an island in the lake and the police let them go so that they could investigate this instead.

When they finally returned to the pokémon centre, Livvi and Alicia were both exhausted after all the day's events. They were disappointed that their chance to spend time exploring the lakeshore had been cut short, for they needed to set off again the following day so that they could cross the mountainous north to get to Blackthorn City.

"At least Saffa is okay," Livvi said as they sat down in the restaurant to eat some dinner.

"Yeah," Alicia replied quietly, looking down at her food without much appetite.

"Are you still worried about her?" Livvi asked. "I'm sure that the nurses have taken good care of her…"

Alicia frowned. "It's not that," she said slowly. "I…I should have noticed. I should have realised that Saffa wasn't herself. If I had, then we wouldn't have needed to attack…to hurt her. It's all my fault."

"We would have needed to fight Saffa either way," Livvi replied with a soft smile. "She was still too angry when she first evolved. We needed to tire her out so she would calm down."

Alicia remained silent for a couple of seconds. She didn't return Livvi's smile. "I always thought the day Saffa evolved would be a happy one."

"Wait until you see her tomorrow," Livvi said, reaching across the table and putting her hands over Alicia's reassuringly. "She'll be happier once she's had a chance to rest. I'm sure she regrets attacking you as much as you regret attacking her."

"Yeah." Alicia managed a small smile. "It's just…not nice, having to fight your own pokémon like that."

"Yeah." Livvi nodded. "I know it was hard."

Alicia took a deep breath and pulled her hands out from under Livvi's. "I guess I should try and eat. We've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow, right?"

"That's right," said Livvi, returning to her own meal. "I think I've found a good route through the mountains, but you never know what will happen in places like that."

Never know what will happen, huh?

Alicia had a feeling that there was very little that could come as a greater shock that what had happened today. Still, even as her guilt weighed on her heart, she felt a little bit better. Tomorrow would come and she and Saffa would both start to move on.

* * *

 **A little bit heavier than normal this chapter. I thought it would be interesting to explore what some of the early moves towards Team Rocket's plot in the Johto games might have looked like. It gave me an opportunity to evolve Saffa and bring Robert back as well.**

 **This chapter was a challenge to write, but felt very satisfying to me when I finished it. I hope that you feel the same way having now read it.**

 **As ever, I appreciate any feedback you have on this chapter and don't forget to leave a like on the Facebook page and follow me on Twitter.**

 **Until next time!**

* * *

 **Team Listings:**

 **Livvi Weston:**

 **Active:**

 **Barru** (Ivysaur): male, timid, highly persistent, likes sweet food, grass-poison type, Overgrow ability, knows Double-Edge, Sludge Bomb, Solar Beam and Leech Seed.

 **Tavro** (Hypno): male, quirky, loves to eat, eats anything, psychic type, Forewarn ability, knows Psychic, Hypnosis, Future Sight and Headbutt.

 **Litine** (Azumarill): female, mild, good endurance, likes dry food, water type, Thick Fat ability, knows Double-Edge, Rain Dance, Hydro Pump and Rollout.

 **Dacino** (Cyndaquil): male, adamant, loves to eat, likes spicy food, fire type, Blaze ability, knows Flamethrower, Swift, Flame Wheel and Smokescreen.

 **Ferru** (Teddiursa): male, hardy, loves to eat, eats anything, normal type, Pickup ability, knows Feint Attack, Slash, Thrash and Fake Tears.

 **Seniry** (Magnemite): genderless, adamant, a little quick tempered, likes spicy food, steel-electric type, Magnet Pull ability, knows Metal Sound, Spark, Sonic Boom and Supersonic.

 **In Viridian City:**

 **Dorru** (Nidorina): female, quiet, mischievous, likes dry food, poison type, Rivalry ability, knows Fury Swipes, Double Kick, Poison Sting and Crunch.

 **Salea** (Blissey): female, gentle, somewhat vain, likes bitter food, normal type, Natural Cure ability, knows Softboiled, Psychic, Double-Edge and Egg Bomb.

 **Cylune** (Venomoth): male, modest, proud of its power, likes dry food, poison-bug type, Shield Dust ability, knows Stun Spore, Psychic, Toxic and Silver Wind.

 **Evoro** (Jolteon): male, jolly, alert to sounds, likes sweet food, electric type, Volt Absorb ability, knows Thunderbolt, Double Team, Double Kick and Quick Attack.

 **Alicia Law:**

 **Active:**

 **Ruo** (Meganium): male, naughty, often dozes off, likes spicy food, grass type, Overgrow ability, knows Body Slam, Synthesis, Solar Beam and Safeguard.

 **Pari** (Dunsparce): male, quirky, likes to thrash about, eats anything, normal type, Serene Grace ability, knows Rollout, Screech, Double-Edge and Dig.

 **Saffa** (Gyarados): female, rash, often lost in thought, likes dry food, water type, Intimidate ability, knows Thrash, Hydro Pump, Dragon Dance and Hyper Beam.

 **Balva** (Magcargo): male, hasty, a little quick tempered, likes sweet food, fire type, Flame Body ability, knows Protect, Rock Slide, Flamethrower and Body Slam.

 **Drineb** (Snorlax): male, adamant, scatters things often, likes spicy food, normal type, Thick Fat ability, knows Rest, Body Slam, Brick Break and Rollout.


	25. Swinub's Hot Spring

**Hello and welcome to another chapter of Pokémon Journey: Livvi's Johto Scrapbook!**

 **Last time, Livvi and Alicia faced a crisis at the Lake of Rage when Saffa suddenly evolved into a gyarados and went berserk. Fortunately, Alicia was able to calm her down before there was too much damage. Unbeknownst to the two of them, the incident was caused by a small group of ex-Team Rocket members, including Alicia's older brother, Robert.**

 **Upload Date: 7th March 2019**

* * *

 **Chapter 25: Swinub's Hot Spring**

 _Route 44, Johto_

 _4:46pm, 11th June 2006_

The mountains running along the north of Johto were far bigger and more imposing than anything Livvi had seen in Kanto. It was surprisingly cold despite it being the middle of June and the terrain was much rougher and more demanding than they had expected. They were moving far slower than they had originally hoped, especially whenever they needed to climb up to pass through narrow gorges between some of the mountains.

Many of the surrounding peaks were still covered in snow, and even some of the gorges that were higher up had a thin dusting of white that Livvi and Alicia had to contend with alongside all the other difficulties of travelling through the mountains. It was unlike anywhere else in Johto and, in many ways, felt like a fitting place to embark on the final stages of their journey.

"We'll stop here for the night," Livvi said as she and Alicia reached a river running through one of the many valleys between the icy peaks. "We're going to need all of our strength for tomorrow."

"Which one are we climbing tomorrow?" Alicia asked wearily, looking around at the mountains ahead of them.

"We're following a route called 'Ice Path'," Livvi replied ominously.

Alicia sighed. "Great," she said, noticing all the difficult paths leading up to the icy and snow-covered heights. She imagined that this meant they were following another gorge. "How much longer until we reach Blackthorn City?"

"A week, if we're lucky," Livvi replied. "Come on, help me with the tent."

Some of the valleys in this part of Johto felt as remote and desolate as the surrounding mountains. They counted themselves lucky if they arrived there to find that there was even a small town waiting for them. Normally, they arrived to find it deserted, as they had with this one.

The advantage with this was that they could let their pokémon roam around more freely while they were camped. Regular training had been stopped - both Livvi and Alicia were worried about the possibility of the pokémon getting injured far away from the nearest pokémon centre.

While the two girls focused on putting up the tent, the pokémon were all let out to get a break from being in their poké balls. Seniry immediately drifted over to hover near Livvi, watching her passively as she fed the tent pole through. The others all moved away to give their trainers some space. Ruo and Barru both lay down on the grass a short distance away, looking up at the grey sky in disappointment.

Drineb and Ferru were patrolling around the campsite in search of as much food as they could get their hands on. After a while, Drineb seemed satisfied and flopped down on the grass and started to snore loudly. Ferru continued for a while, occasionally stalking the other pokémon to see if they'd found anything good.

Balva was a short distance away from the rest, practising his attacks once again. He'd been pretty shaken up by the battle against Saffa back at the Lake of Rage and was determined to improve himself in preparation for what he was sure would be even greater challenges to come.

Tavro seemed to be doing the same thing and was continuing to practise his own attacks by himself, though he had allowed Pari and Dacino to join him. The two smaller pokémon were eager to learn from their more experienced companion; Tavro was the only one who'd ever trained under a gym leader after all.

Meanwhile, both Litine and Saffa were relaxing in the river. Now that she'd had time to get over the difficulty of her evolution, the gyarados had become more placid and friendly again. She splashed water cheerfully at Litine and looked around at the surrounding mountains with interest. As a gyarados, she would always been prone to sometimes losing control and going on a rampage, but the nurse had told Alicia that she could be trained to keep this to a minimum.

"The fact that you've had her since she was a magikarp will make her much better," she had said.

By the time the tent was up, it was starting to get bitterly cold and the pokémon were all keen to gather around the campfire that Livvi and Alicia had set up. They all ate dinner together, with the two trainers chatting happily about the plans for the following day.

* * *

 _Ice Path, Johto_

 _11:54am, 12th June 2006_

Despite the cold weather, everyone got a good night's sleep and they'd set off towards Ice Path after breakfast with enthusiasm. They'd been in the mountains for several days now and they were confident that they could make it through this as well.

Things got off to a good start and they'd managed to get halfway up the slope towards the gorge in less time than Livvi had predicted. It also looked like the sun might manage to fight its way through the clouds as they paused to have a break on a rocky outcrop.

After that, however, things started to get more difficult. The slope was steep and rocky, and there was one point when Alicia almost slipped and fell. Livvi had managed to grab her, but banged her knee hard against a rock while doing so. Climbing became much more painful and their progress slowed.

As they'd gotten higher, the clouds had started to darken again and, to their shock, snow had started falling around them. The temperature plummeted and both girls were shivering by the time they reached the entrance to the gorge.

"S-snow, in June?" Alicia gasped, shivering violently as she watched her breath appear in front of her.

"H-happens a lot on top of m-mountains!" Livvi replied, limping over to a nearby rock and sitting down. She instantly regretted it: it was freezing cold.

"Not as cold as the Mahogany gym though," Alicia said as she rummaged through her backpack and pulled out an extra hoodie. "How's your knee?"

"J-just give me a moment," Livvi replied, gently massaging her knee. Though it had been a painful blow, she didn't think that it was anything serious. She'd probably just bruised it. Still, it was painful and would probably stay that way for the rest of the day. "I should be fine."

"Don't you want to rest longer?" Alicia asked in concern as Livvi pulled herself back to her feet.

"And freeze here?" Livvi replied, shivering as a cold gust of wind blew past her. "No way!"

They started walking cautiously along the gorge. It was as rough and difficult underfoot here as it had been on the slope, made even worse by the snow that was covering the path and causing them to occasionally slip on the rocks. Whenever it happened to Livvi, she felt a sharp pain shot up from her knee.

They eventually sent out Dacino and Balva to help keep them warm as they moved forwards, but the ground soon became even more uneven and difficult to walk on. And as they pressed further on, they eventually found…

"Oh no!" Alicia exclaimed.

"This isn't good!" Livvi gasped, shivering as another cold gust of wind rushed down the gorge. The path ahead was completely blocked by a rockfall. There was no way that the two of them would be able to climb over it.

"What do we do?" Alicia asked anxiously, looking over at Livvi.

Livvi looked away from her, a frown forming on her face. The honest answer was that, if the path was blocked, they had no choice but to descend back into the valley and find another way around. It might add days onto their journey time, especially since they'd need to stop for the night again when they got down into the valley.

As she gazed absentmindedly towards the wall of the gorge, however, she suddenly spotted a cave entrance. She stepped towards it and realised that it continued deeper into the mountain.

"A cave?" Alicia asked as she, Dacino, and Balva moved over to join her.

"It might...be a tunnel," Livvi replied. She quickly shrugged off her backpack and started fumbling for her town map. She pulled it open and stared at the northern mountains intently, scanning every marking. "Here!" She suddenly jabbed a finger excitedly towards a point on the map. "There's a small tunnel marked here that leads up this mountain! We can use it to get past these rocks!"

"Will it be safe?" Alicia asked cautiously, peering into the gloom.

"Other trainers have used it," Livvi replied. She started limping towards it. "Come on, let's get moving. Our only other choice is to go back to the valley."

Though she didn't look completely convinced, Alicia followed Livvi into the tunnel. Dacino and Balva shared a quick look before hurrying after them. If it was going to be dark in there, then Livvi and Alicia would need them.

* * *

 _12:23pm, 12th June 2006_

The tunnel was even colder than the mountainside. Livvi and Alicia were both glad that they had Dacino and Balva with them to help keep them warm as well as to provide light as they groped their way along the dark passages.

The tunnel was surprisingly well-maintained though. Why somewhere as remote as this would have a mostly smooth floor and a gentle slope leading up through the mountain was a mystery, though Livvi was starting to wonder if the rockfall in the gorge hadn't been recent.

Aside from the slippery floors that occasionally threatened to send the two girls sliding back the way they'd come, there wasn't much to stop them from eventually making their way up onto the mountaintop, where they took a moment to marvel at the spectacular views before realising that it was even colder and snowier here.

"If we follow that ridge along, then we'll have some cover thanks to the trees," Livvi said, pointing to the pine trees below.

"Are we still heading the right way?" Alicia asked.

"We should be," Livvi replied, pulling an extra scarf from her bag and fastening it tightly around her neck. She'd put on so many extra layers that she looked twice her normal size. "The map says that there's a way down to the gorge somewhere along here."

"And your knee?" Alicia asked anxiously as Livvi limped again.

"It's fine, you don't need to worry," said Livvi insistently. She stopped as she spotted something in the distance. "Hey, what's that?"

Ahead of the girls was a small, brown pokémon that was pawing at the snowy ground at the foot of one of the trees. She was sending up great showers of snow as she dug through it.

"I was wondering when we'd see a swinub," said Alicia. "There are apparently loads of them in these mountains."

"That makes a lot of sense," Livvi said, remembering the evolved form, piloswine, in Pryce's gym. She pulled out her Pokédex.

" _Swinub, the pig pokémon. Swinub root for food by rubbing their snouts against the ground. Their favourite food is a mushroom that grows under the cover of dead grass. These pokémon occasionally root out hot springs._ "

"Hot springs?" Livvi's eyes lit up. "I could really do with a hot spring right now…"

"Yeah." Alicia nodded, her eyes becoming briefly vacant as she imagined sinking into a nice, warm pool of water.

"Let's help it!" Livvi said eagerly, looking over at Alicia.

"Help the swinub?"

"I'm sure it's found a hot spring there," Livvi replied. "Isn't that what the Pokédex said?"

"I-I guess?" Alicia said uncertainly. She followed Livvi as she hobbled over to the swinub, who was too busy digging to notice them.

"We'll help," Livvi said as she knelt down next to her.

"Yeah," Alicia said, leaning over and starting to scrape away at the snow with her hands.

The swinub finally noticed that she had company and squealed happily, clearly delighted to have found some unexpected help. The three of them dug quickly, sending snow flying everywhere as they got deeper and deeper. Dacino and Balva both kept well back to avoid being hit.

After a short while, the swinub let out an excited squeal.

"Did you find a hot spring?" Livvi cried eagerly.

However, the swinub had unearthed a small pile of berries that had been buried beneath the snow. Under them was the cold, hard ground. No warm steam, no hot water bubbling to the surface, nothing.

"Urgh." Livvi sat back and sighed with disappointment. "She was just looking for food."

"That tired me out," Alicia added as she sat back as well.

Seemingly oblivious to the humans' disappointment, the swinub excitedly scooped up the berries. She scuttled over to Livvi and pressed one of them into her hand.

"Thanks," Livvi said hollowly, forcing a smile as the swinub moved over to give one to Alicia as well.

This time, she seemed to pick up on the disappointment in Livvi's voice. Turning, she gave Livvi a curious look and squealed at her.

"No, no! I do like it!" Livvi said quickly. "It's just…" She looked over at Alicia. "…we were hoping you could find a hot spring for us. A _hot…spring_ ," she repeated slowly as the swinub gave her a blank look.

The swinub continued looking at her for a couple of seconds, turning her head from one side to the other. Finally, she let out an eager squeal and started scampering off down the ridge.

"H-hey, wait!" Alicia exclaimed, leaping to her feet. She stopped to help Livvi to her feet. "You think she's going to lead us to a hot spring now?"

"Looks like it," Livvi replied. "Let's follow her - she'll want our help digging it up."

* * *

 _12:41pm, 12th June 2006_

The swinub seemed quite excited by whatever scent she had picked up. She was able to scurry across the surface of the snow as if it wasn't there at all and easily avoided the jagged parts of the rocky ridge.

Livvi and Alicia weren't so lucky and had to tread cautiously across the ridge. They tried their hardest to follow the swinub's tracks but had to keep slowing down every time they reached a tricky spot. There was the cold as well. Even though they were getting into the afternoon, it was still bitterly cold and light snow was still falling from the sky around them.

Fortunately, the swinub stopped every now-and-again so that they could catch up with her. Clearly, she wanted their help digging up the hot spring once she'd tracked it down.

"I hope she finds one soon," Alicia said longingly, shivering as the cold wind blew around them.

"It must be tough searching all the way up here," Livvi replied. "Don't worry: look at how hard she's looking!"

Sure enough, the swinub suddenly let out an excited squeal and rushed forwards. Rubbing her nose against the snow, she started pawing at it.

"Look! She's found it!" Livvi exclaimed, hobbling forwards. She and Alicia quickly started digging as well, their hearts alive with excitement and anticipation.

It was another pile of berries…

* * *

After that, Livvi and Alicia had given up hope that the swinub would lead them to a hot spring and resumed their journey down the mountain towards the gorge. It was going to take them a long time to get down and they couldn't afford to waste any more time helping the swinub dig for berries. Livvi thought that she'd seemed a little sad to see them go, but wasn't that bothered. Of course they hadn't been looking for berries!

Unfortunately, things didn't get much better after leaving the swinub. Snow was still falling and the path down was long, narrow and rough. Nothing serious had happened yet but there had been a couple of scares. The difficulty was starting to put a strain on them, particularly Livvi, whose bad knee was making walking down harder and more painful.

"H-how about we stop here?" Alicia asked, spotting a relatively flat area further ahead.

"Can't stop," Livvi mumbled, shaking her head. "Won't have enough time to make it down the mountain."

"You can't keep going the way you are!" Alicia exclaimed. "Come on, we need to have a rest!"

She reached out and grabbed Livvi's arm. She pulled her towards a large rock on the flat section. Though she resisted for a couple of seconds, Livvi finally allowed herself to be pushed to sit down. For a couple of moments, the two girls sat in silence with just the occasional whoosh of a particularly strong gust of wind.

"I think we need to come up with a backup plan," said Alicia. "We're not going to be able to get down the mountain before it gets dark and it would be way too dangerous to continue that late."

Livvi let out a defeated sigh. "I guess you're right. I just don't know if we'll find a good place to set up the tent up here. You saw what it was like on the ridge."

"Maybe there's a cave we could use?" Alicia suggested. "Why don't I go on ahead and look for something?"

"No!" Livvi shook her head. "We shouldn't split up! I'll be able to walk with you."

At that moment, there was an excited squealing from nearby.

The two girls looked around to see the swinub from earlier scurrying down the path towards them, calling out happily.

"What do you want?" Livvi groaned. "We're not going to help you dig up any more berries!"

The swinub ran past them and dived down a narrow path that was surrounded by trees. Livvi and Alicia hadn't noticed it at first.

With another squeal, the swinub spun around and bounced up and down excitedly, looking at them eagerly.

"There might be a cave down there or something," Alicia said hopefully.

"Yeah, I guess so," Livvi said. In any case, that path looked far easier to walk on than the rough trail leading down the mountain. Perhaps it was worth a shot.

The two of them got up and followed the swinub as she led them down the path. The trees were so thick that it suddenly became very dark and they had to get out their torches so they could see the ground.

They eventually emerged onto a wide ledge that was mostly sheltered from the wind thanks to the surrounding trees. The swinub was jumping up and down on a patch of snow close to the centre of the ledge. She seemed quite insistent that they come over to it.

"I'll help her," said Alicia. She gestured to one of the rocks scattered nearby. "You sit down and rest."

Livvi did as she was told and watched as Alicia and the swinub started digging at the snow. A part of her thought that berries would actually be quite nice now. Maybe it would help restore some of her strength?

Her eyes drifted around the clearing, from the snow-covered tree branches to the rocky cliff behind them. There was actually something that looked a lot like a cave entrance just a bit along from her. They should check it out to see if it would be suitable for them to use for shelter tonight…

"Oh!"

Hearing Alicia exclaim, Livvi turned back to look at her and the swinub. "What's up?"

"It's warm!" Alicia cried excitedly. "I can feel something warm under here!"

"Seriously?" Livvi exclaimed. She pulled herself up and limped over to help them dig. There really was something warm underneath them - she could feel it! After digging for a while longer, they finally found themselves scraping against a warm rock. They uncovered it as completely as they could before realising that they had no chance of lifting it themselves.

"Not a problem!" Alicia pulled out a poké ball. "Go, Drineb!"

The snorlax burst from the ball and, after listening to what Alicia had to say, prepared to strike the rock as hard as he could. His large fist glowed a dark red colour before he threw the punch, shattering the rock into large chunks. There was a splashing sound as steam suddenly rushed out from the newly-formed gaps.

"You really found one!" Livvi exclaimed, reaching down to pat the swinub on the head. "Thank you!"

The swinub squeaked back at her happily.

"Drineb, can you try moving these rocks out of the way?" Alicia asked.

"Ah! We can help too!" Livvi cried, reaching for Tavro's poké ball.

Between the two pokémon, they quickly cleared away the broken rock fragments and put them down at the side of the steaming pool of water they'd uncovered.

"Just feel it!" Livvi said excitedly, dipping her hand into the water as the swinub jumped in. It was hot, but not unbearable. Just the kind of temperature they needed after a day spent in the icy cold of the mountain top.

Once they were in and settled, they quickly got used to the temperature and sank down into it up to their shoulders. Today had been tough and they were both tensed up from fighting the cold and the difficult terrain. Livvi felt as though she was resting her bad knee properly for the first time since injuring it.

"It doesn't look as bad as I thought it would," she said, leaning over to examine it. There was a bit of bruising visible on the side that she'd bashed against the rock, but it didn't look particularly swollen.

"How does it feel?" Alicia asked.

"It's okay now," Livvi said. She reached out to touch it and flinched slightly. Of course, it would still hurt to touch. She felt like keeping it in the water would help though. "Hey." She turned back to Alicia. "Do you think that cave there would be a good place to stop for the night?"

"Cave?" Alicia looked over her shoulder. "Oh, yeah. Are you sure that it's a cave though? Not just an entrance?"

"I didn't look," Livvi replied. "But this seems like a nice place to stop. We're sheltered from the wind and we've got the hot spring here too."

"I'll go with whatever you decide!" Alicia assured her.

"Well, we'll just spend a little longer in the hot spring first," Livvi sighed, allowing herself to sink into the water up to her chin. "We've got plenty of time to decide now…"

* * *

 _7:23am, 13th June 2006_

It was starting to get light outside when Livvi stirred from a restless sleep full of strange half-dreams that faded from her memory as she emerged from them. Now that she was awake, she could feel a small breeze blowing across her face, the only part of her body outside of her sleeping bag. The rest of her was still lovely and warm though; it was going to be tough forcing herself to leave it. Switching out her regular sleeping bag for a winter one before they'd headed into the mountains.

As she adjusted to waking up, she glanced around at the inside of the cave. It had turned out to be perfectly big enough for her and Alicia to bed down inside it. It had also been flat enough for them to lay out their sleeping mats without rocks digging into them or being on a slant.

Forcing herself to overcome the temptation to stay where she was, Livvi pulled down the zip on her sleeping bag and shuddered as the cold air flowed into it. As she made to climb out, she suddenly realised that there was a small, brown, furry creature sleeping next to her and let out a yelp of surprise.

"Livvi? What's wrong?" Alicia asked blearily, rolling her sleeping bag over to look at her.

"O-oh, it's nothing," Livvi replied. It was just the swinub from yesterday. For whatever reason, she had decided to go to sleep right next to Livvi's sleeping bag.

"Looks like she's become quite attached to you," Alicia said, smiling as the swinub got up and started trying to climb into Livvi's sleeping bag.

"I bet she just wants to get somewhere warm," Livvi replied cynically, gently pushing the swinub out as she got up. She shivered. It was particularly cold up on the mountain when she was just wearing pajamas.

"Want to go back in the hot spring?" Alicia asked, noticing that Livvi had glanced longingly out of the cave entrance.

"Yeah," Livvi replied. "Might as well do it before having breakfast, right?"

"I'll join you!" Alicia said, scrambling to get out of her sleeping bag. She hopped from one foot to the other as her bare feet touched the cold rock.

After relaxing in the hot spring again, Livvi and Alicia got changed and had breakfast. As tempting as it was to stay here for another day, Livvi's knee was feeling much better and they needed to make the most of the day to get back down to the next valley. They were already behind.

Once everything was packed up and Livvi and Alicia cast sad looks back at the cave and hot spring, they started off through the trees to get back to the main path. As they reached it and steeled themselves against the wind and snow, they heard a scuffling sound from behind them.

"You're still with us?" Livvi asked as the swinub came out of the trees and brushed against her ankle.

"I think you've made a new friend, Livvi," Alicia said.

"I guess so," Livvi sighed. She smiled down at the swinub. Even if she'd been annoyed about the berries the previous day, she couldn't deny that the swinub was very sweet. And she had led them to a hot spring in the end, hadn't she?

Livvi pulled out a poké ball and tapped it against the swinub's forehead. She was sucked into the ball, which shook in Livvi's hand for a couple of seconds before sealing with a click.

"Congratulations!" Alicia said cheerfully.

"Thanks," Livvi replied, holding up the poké ball and releasing the swinub again. "You can be 'Nuban'. Reckon you can guide us down into the gorge?"

Nuban nodded eagerly and started scurrying down the path, occasionally looking back to make sure they were following her. Both Livvi and Alicia set off down the path after her, both feeling that they'd perhaps make better progress today thanks to their new friend.

* * *

 **I was keen to have a slightly wilder 'feel' to this chapter since Livvi and Alicia are moving on towards Blackthorn City. Having large, foreboding mountains and sparsely populated valleys feels much more fitting for the area before the toughest gym in Johto.**

 **And on that subject, Livvi now has another new team member in the form of Nuban the swinub. Whether she'll be a help or a hindrance remains to be seen, though an ice type is always handy to have around wherever dragons are concerned.**

 **Anyway, that's all I have to say for this chapter.**

 **As ever, I appreciate any feedback you have on this chapter and don't forget to leave a like on the Facebook page and follow me on Twitter.**

 **Until next time!**

* * *

 **Team Listings:**

 **Livvi Weston:**

 **Active:**

 **Barru** (Ivysaur): male, timid, highly persistent, likes sweet food, grass-poison type, Overgrow ability, knows Double-Edge, Sludge Bomb, Solar Beam and Leech Seed.

 **Tavro** (Hypno): male, quirky, loves to eat, eats anything, psychic type, Forewarn ability, knows Psychic, Hypnosis, Future Sight and Headbutt.

 **Litine** (Azumarill): female, mild, good endurance, likes dry food, water type, Thick Fat ability, knows Double-Edge, Rain Dance, Hydro Pump and Rollout.

 **Dacino** (Cyndaquil): male, adamant, loves to eat, likes spicy food, fire type, Blaze ability, knows Flamethrower, Swift, Flame Wheel and Smokescreen.

 **Ferru** (Teddiursa): male, hardy, loves to eat, eats anything, normal type, Pickup ability, knows Feint Attack, Slash, Thrash and Fake Tears.

 **Seniry** (Magnemite): genderless, adamant, a little quick tempered, likes spicy food, steel-electric type, Magnet Pull ability, knows Metal Sound, Spark, Sonic Boom and Supersonic.

 **Nuban** (Swinub): female, calm, likes to fight, likes bitter food, ice-ground type, Oblivious ability, knows Blizzard, Mist, Take Down and Earthquake.

 **In Viridian City:**

 **Dorru** (Nidorina): female, quiet, mischievous, likes dry food, poison type, Rivalry ability, knows Fury Swipes, Double Kick, Poison Sting and Crunch.

 **Salea** (Blissey): female, gentle, somewhat vain, likes bitter food, normal type, Natural Cure ability, knows Softboiled, Psychic, Double-Edge and Egg Bomb.

 **Cylune** (Venomoth): male, modest, proud of its power, likes dry food, poison-bug type, Shield Dust ability, knows Stun Spore, Psychic, Toxic and Silver Wind.

 **Evoro** (Jolteon): male, jolly, alert to sounds, likes sweet food, electric type, Volt Absorb ability, knows Thunderbolt, Double Team, Double Kick and Quick Attack.

 **Alicia Law:**

 **Active:**

 **Ruo** (Meganium): male, naughty, often dozes off, likes spicy food, grass type, Overgrow ability, knows Body Slam, Synthesis, Solar Beam and Safeguard.

 **Pari** (Dunsparce): male, quirky, likes to thrash about, eats anything, normal type, Serene Grace ability, knows Rollout, Screech, Double-Edge and Dig.

 **Saffa** (Gyarados): female, rash, often lost in thought, likes dry food, water type, Intimidate ability, knows Thrash, Hydro Pump, Dragon Dance and Hyper Beam.

 **Balva** (Magcargo): male, hasty, a little quick tempered, likes sweet food, fire type, Flame Body ability, knows Protect, Rock Slide, Flamethrower and Body Slam.

 **Drineb** (Snorlax): male, adamant, scatters things often, likes spicy food, normal type, Thick Fat ability, knows Rest, Body Slam, Brick Break and Rollout.


	26. Land of the Dragon Tamers

**Hello and welcome to another chapter of** _ **Pokémon Journey: Livvi's Johto Scrapbook**_ **!**

 **Last time, Livvi and Alicia had to make their way through the remote and challenging mountains of northern Johto, through an area known as the Ice Path. While there, Livvi befriended and caught a wild swinub, naming her 'Nuban'.**

 **Upload Date: 14th April 2019**

* * *

 **Chapter 26: Land of the Dragon Tamers**

 _Blackthorn City, Johto_

 _3:11pm, 15th June 2006_

Alicia was silent as she trudged back down the passage to the lobby of the Blackthorn gym. The sounds of the recently-concluded battle still rang in her ears, though the events already felt hazy, as though they'd been happening to someone else instead.

Livvi was already waiting for her in the lobby, a sad smile on her face. "Well, I guess that's two of us then," she said, hugging her. "Don't worry, we'll find a way to beat her."

"I kinda don't want to think about that right now," Alicia murmured glumly.

"Yeah, I get it," said Livvi.

Though she said that, Alicia was thinking about what had just happened a lot.

Livvi had gone first when they'd arrived at the gym earlier. Alicia had been able to tell straight away that this gym was going to be different to the ones they'd fought before. The gym leader, Clair, had given off an intimidating aura and hadn't held back in the slightest.

Nuban had been crushed ruthlessly within a minute, while Seniry and Tavro both put up a longer fight. In the end, they'd been unable to defeat even one of Clair's dragon-type pokémon.

So, Alicia had then gone down to the arena feeling more scared than she'd ever felt in any of her previous battles. Sure enough, Clair had unleashed everything against her and her team. Balva and Saffa had fallen pretty quickly, while Drineb held his own for a short while before being knocked out as well. The whole battle had lasted less than five minutes.

To make things worse, Clair seemed much more aggressive and ruthless than any other gym leader either Livvi or Alicia had ever fought. During the first battle, she'd been penalised by the referee after her pokémon used a Surf attack that also hit Livvi and knocked her off her feet. She was unshakeable in her belief in the superiority of dragon-type pokémon and hadn't been afraid to remind Livvi and Alicia of that during their battles with her.

The gym itself had a very intimidating aura as well, even without Clair about. Maybe it was because of the tradition it was steeped in, or perhaps the naturally intimidating nature of dragons? Either way, it felt less like stepping into a gym and more like standing on sacred ground. The staff weren't unfriendly, but they carried themselves with the same distance and air of invulnerability as their gym leader.

All in all, it was easy to see why most trainers in Johto tended to avoid the Blackthorn gym. In fact, Alicia had resigned herself to having to track down a different gym at which to earn her final gym badge.

Livvi, however, seemed much keener to stay and fight Clair again. "You can't run from tough opponents: you just need to come back again and again until you overpower them!" she was saying as the two of them left the gym and started walking back towards the pokémon centre. She was so enthusiastic about talking about training plans that she'd forgotten about her still-wet clothes from earlier.

"I get that," Alicia sighed. After all the time she'd spent with Livvi, she could understand a lot of what drove her. She knew that she always had one eye cast distantly towards her older sister, Tessa. A tough opponent who had been consistently beating her for over a year now. Of course that would make someone unwilling to back down just because their opponent was seemingly invincible. If she backed down in the face of Clair, then Livvi would be giving up hope of ever managing to defeat Tessa.

"Look, don't worry," Livvi said gently. "We'll train hard together tomorrow and get our team into proper shape. It's been a little while since our battles with Pryce and we couldn't really train that hard while we were travelling through the mountains, so it's only natural that we'd struggle a bit."

Alicia had to admire Livvi's optimism, but she couldn't face the thought of stepping back into the arena with Clair after all that had happened. Even assuming that she managed to defeat Clair's first pokémon, the thought of having to tangle with another two of her fearsome dragons made her heart lurch uncomfortably. If only she could have Livvi there to help her and keep her focused when the battle was going badly…

"…I was thinking of doing some reading about dragon types to see if I could find any weaknesses," said Livvi. "I'll let you know-"

"Livvi!" Alicia interrupted her. "C-can we…" She paused for a second. "Can we fight Clair as a tag team next time?"

"Huh?" Livvi gave her a surprised look. "Are you sure? I thought you wanted to fight your own battles?"

"Well, Clair is much tougher than any other gym leader we've faced!" Alicia replied quickly. "I just thought that it would be better if we worked together to beat her, that's all…"

"Well, if that's what you want," Livvi replied with a smile. "I don't mind fighting alongside you. I'm sure that the Blackthorn gym will allow tag battles as well."

"Thanks, Livvi," Alicia said, smiling back at her. Planning for the rematch at the Blackthorn gym seemed a lot less daunting now.

* * *

 _10:23am, 16th June 2006_

Nestled in the mountains between Johto and Kanto, Blackthorn City remained isolated from both. The few easily-accessible roads that led into the city didn't link with any of the other major cities, meaning that it was harder for trainers to reach this place. Of course, the reputation of the city didn't help either.

As Livvi and Alicia had quickly discovered, Blackthorn was home to countless 'dragon tamers', who proclaimed mastery over dragon-type pokémon. At first, they'd brushed it off as simple hyperbole from a city that was proud of its ancient roots. Of course, the gym battle against Clair had been enough to disprove that.

This reputation and the fact that dragon-type pokémon were renowned for their strength and resilience in battle combined to make Blackthorn a very unattractive place for most trainers. It was usually only the most confident or those with something to prove who sought out the Blackthorn gym.

It seemed like the people of this city were shaped somewhat by the pokémon that they'd trained for so many centuries. There was a coldness in their manner, though most were perfectly nice once they got talking to them, and a similar resilience and sense of fortitude. That might have been more down to the remoteness of the city though - there was no room to be soft in the face of the dangerous elements back in the early days of Blackthorn City.

Despite being far away from the wealthy heart of Johto, it was still an impressive place, and Livvi was certain that she'd have passed through the city even if she and Alicia hadn't needed a final gym badge for the Johto League. Most of the buildings were old and built from wood, though in grand designs that oozed majesty. Even the pokémon centre here looked more old-fashioned than centres in other towns.

What interested Livvi the most about the city though was the fact that a lot of the old buildings and locations, which may have become museums or attractions in other cities, were still used in much the same way as they had back when they were first built. In fact, there was a park in the north of the city that contained a cave named 'Dragon's Den', which was strictly off-limits to outsiders. The mystery of it made Livvi love it even more.

Being old and steeped in history and tradition, the city had plenty of resources for anyone wanting to learn more. The trainers' lounge in the pokémon centre was full of books, particularly about dragon types. It was from here that Livvi and Alicia would be able to devise their strategy against Clair.

"It looks like I had the right idea when I used Nuban," Livvi said. "Dragon types can resist most other pokémon attacks, but they're weak to ice-type attacks as well as other dragon-type attacks."

"We've only got Nuban though," Alicia replied. "I don't have any ice types on my team."

"Not a problem!" Livvi said, grinning reassuringly at her. "We'll teach our non-ice types to use some ice-type moves!"

After that, the two of them had gone out to the training arena, where they'd got their teams to try their hardest to learn any kind of ice attack. Aside from Nuban summoning a blizzard excitedly, they didn't make much progress. It was only when they restarted in the morning when they finally started to see some success.

"That was great, Litine!" Livvi called enthusiastically as the azumarill successfully managed to freeze her fist before throwing a punch at Dacino. She grinned back at Livvi, happy to have finally nailed the attack.

Meanwhile, both Drineb and Saffa had managed to fire freezing beams of ice from their mouths, freezing the surface of the arena. It took a while longer before they both had the attacks under control.

"It's a shame that none of the other pokémon were able to learn anything," Alicia sighed as they took a break by the side of the arena.

"I'm happy that we got as many as we did," Livvi replied cheerfully. "Now we've got four pokémon who can go up against Clair's dragons."

"How many will we need?" Alicia asked.

"Who knows?" Livvi said, turning to her and shrugging. "I think we only used one each when we fought together before." Thinking back made her realise just how long it had been since then.

"It could be different here though," Alicia sighed. "I still don't know who would be better to use…"

"We can talk about it on the way back to the gym," Livvi said. She looked out at the pokémon, who were all resting as much as they could after the exhausting training sessions. "Saffa and Drineb are both tough, so I'm sure you'll do fine either way."

"What about you?" Alicia asked. "Who are you going to use?"

"Good question!" Livvi said. "Litine is tough and experienced, but then Nuban is the one with the more powerful attacks. We were caught off-guard yesterday, so maybe she'll be able to do better this time?"

"Hmm." Alicia frowned as she glanced back at the pokémon. Even with Livvi at her side, she didn't feel confident. Would either Saffa or Drineb be able to effectively use new and quite advanced moves like Ice Beam in such a tough situation?

"Well, there's no use worrying about it too much!" Livvi said, jumping to her feet. "How about we go and book our slot at the gym? We can ask the receptionist what the rules are for tag battles."

"Sure," Alicia replied, pulling herself up as well. It would be better than just sitting around and worrying.

* * *

 _2:05pm, 16th June 2006_

Checking at the gym had really helped. Unlike other tag battles, this time they could use two pokémon each against the gym leader's four. There would be no need to choose between Saffa and Drineb, and Litine and Nuban.

Reassured, the two of them had returned to the practice arenas to grab a couple of final hours of training as the early afternoon slots they'd booked drew closer and closer. They'd eventually stopped at Livvi's insistence so that they could have lunch before heading back to the gym.

Now, as they walked through the passage down to the arena, Livvi and Alicia shared a nod. Now that they were here, they could feel the confidence they'd built up during the training earlier in the day slowly ebb away from them. The passage was lined with imposing statues of dragons, and Livvi was certain that they'd been deliberately put there to scare any challengers who approached.

The arena itself was no different, really. The sleek, traditional architecture and the statues and wall mounts made they feel almost like they were trespassing. The way they'd both been crushed last time certainly felt a bit like the fury of the dragons had crashed down on them…

Clair, the gym leader, was already waiting for them at the far end of the arena. Everything about her exuded power and authority. She looked at them with the same disapproving look that had greeted each of them the first time they'd set foot in here.

"So, you're coming at me together this time?" she asked. "It matters not - you both saw how deep the power of dragons runs the last time we fought!"

"We're going to hit her with our best attacks right at the start," Livvi hissed to Alicia, trying to sound more confident than she felt.

"Got it." Alicia nodded.

"This is an official Johto League gym battle between the Blackthorn City gym leader, Clair, and the challengers, Olivia Weston from Viridian City and Alicia Law from Cherrygrove City!" the referee announced. "This match will be fought using a four-on-four double format and will be over when one side has no pokémon left who can battle! In addition, only the challengers may substitute pokémon! Begin!"

Livvi, Alicia and Clair all threw out their poké balls. There was a series of pops and electronic whirs as the pokémon burst from their balls and materialised on opposite sides of the battlefield. On Clair's, the formidable forms of a dragonair and a kingdra, while Nuban and Saffa appeared on Livvi and Alicia's side.

"Ice Beam!" Alicia shouted.

"Blizzard!" Livvi yelled.

At once, both pokémon opened fire. Saffa's beam struck Kingdra, knocking her back somewhat, while a swirling storm of ice and snow swept around the arena and pummelled Dragonair.

"Thunder Wave! Dragon Breath!"

Two attacks shot out of the chaos. Saffa quickly swung to the side, allowing the electrical pulse to pass by harmlessly. Nuban was slower and was blasted back by the force of the blue flames hitting her.

"Earthquake!" Livvi shouted.

As she recovered, Nuban stamped the ground, sending a powerful shockwave through the arena. Saffa, who started floating in the air just in time, merely looked passively around as the rest of the room shook violently around them. Both Dragonair and Kingdra were thrown back but quickly recovered.

"We need more power!" Alicia shouted to Livvi as the pokémon resumed exchanging attacks.

"Focus on one at a time!" Livvi called back. "Let's hit Kingdra with everything we've got!"

"R-right!" Alicia nodded. "Saffa, use Hyper Beam!"

"And use Blizzard!" Livvi shouted.

Both Nuban and Saffa immediately obeyed and fired their combined attacks at Kingdra, who was taken by surprise and blast back. A deafening explosion filled the arena as Saffa's beam made contact, temporarily blinding everyone in the room.

"Surf!"

Despite the heavy hit, Kingdra suddenly surged forwards through the swirling blizzard, riding high on a growing wave.

Nuban, Saffa, Livvi and Alicia all yelped in alarm as it bore down on them. The two pokémon were immediately hit; Nuban was swept back while Saffa managed to hold her ground. Livvi grabbed Alicia's hand as they were swept off their feet and were carried back by the flow of the water.

"Are you okay?" Livvi asked as the water receded.

"Y-yeah," Alicia replied shakily, pulling herself back up.

The referee was chastising Clair for using such a reckless attack while the pokémon watched and waited. Saffa was fine, but Nuban looked like she'd taken a lot of damage. She limped back to her position, throwing a concerned look over at Livvi and Alicia as they staggered after her.

"I think I hurt my elbow," Livvi said quietly, wincing as she bent it. "I knew that Clair might try something like this again, but…"

"Yeah," Alicia mumbled. As well as knocks and scrapes from their fall, their clothes were now completely soaked. It was going to be an uncomfortable battle.

"Free attack for the challengers!" the referee announced. "Another foul and you'll forfeit one of your pokémon, Master Clair!"

"Use Hyper Beam!" Alicia called. Normally a very draining move, the pause in the fighting had given Saffa a chance to recharge.

"Earthquake!" Livvi shouted.

"I don't see you penalising them!" Clair barked at the referee as she stumbled backwards with the force of the shockwave.

If the referee responded, then it was drowned out by the explosion as Saffa's attack struck Kingdra. Black smoke rose towards the roof and a great silence fell over the arena. The water-dragon type collapsed to the ground, finally beaten.

"Kingdra is unable to battle!" the referee announced.

"Thunder Wave!" Clair shouted to Dragonair as she recalled Kingdra to her poké ball.

Reacting quickly, Dragonair fired an electrical pulse at Saffa, striking her before she had a chance to dodge again.

"Use Blizzard!" Livvi shouted.

Nuban immediately summoned a fierce blizzard that engulfed the arena and sent freezing snow and sleet hammering down on the opposing side. They distantly heard Dragonair cry out in pain, followed by silence.

"Dragonair is unable to battle!" the referee yelled over the noise of the blizzard.

Livvi and Alicia shared a delighted look: they'd managed to defeat _two_ of Clair's pokémon with no losses of their own! It was too early to say that they'd won, but it was starting to look like they might be able to pull off a win after all.

Across the arena, a bright light suddenly appeared through the howling wind and driving snow. A powerful blast of flames lit up the arena as it burst from nowhere and engulfed Nuban.

Before Livvi and Alicia had had a chance to fully register this, there was suddenly a loud boom. A wicked bolt of electricity suddenly dropped from the ceiling and struck Saffa, who howled in pain.

"Nuban!" Livvi cried.

"Saffa!" Alicia yelled.

The attacks ended, and their targets crashed to the ground.

"Both Swinub and Gyarados are unable to battle!" the referee announced.

Livvi and Alicia stared in shock at their fallen pokémon before looking at each other in horror.

"Sorry!" Clair called out. "I hope you weren't thinking you were winning!"

Nuban's blizzard faded out. Standing across from the two challengers were the draconic forms of a charizard, and a dragonite.

True dragons.

That was all that Alicia could think as she stared at them standing side-by-side on the opposing side of the field. With just one attack each, they'd demonstrated their power. Sure, Nuban and Saffa had both been weakened by the earlier fighting, but for them to even out the numbers in an instant like that left her feeling stunned.

She felt Livvi take her hand and jerked her head round to look at her.

"Don't worry," Livvi said, giving her a determined smile. "We're not out of this yet!"

"Y-yeah," Alicia replied quietly. They still had Litine and Drineb, both of whom would be able to put up a tough fight. Livvi was right - they weren't finished yet.

"Don't keep me waiting!" Clair called across at them. "Dragonite and Charizard are dying to meet your last two pokémon!"

Sharing a nod, Livvi and Alicia recalled Nuban and Saffa before pulling out their last poké balls.

"Go, Litine!"

"Go, Drineb!"

Both pokémon called out determinedly as they materialised on the battlefield. They adopted battle stances, watching their opponents carefully for the first sign of an attack.

"What should we do?" Alicia hissed.

"Target Dragonite," Livvi replied quietly. "She looks tougher and can use electric-type attacks that'll really hurt Litine."

"Got it!" Alicia nodded. "Drineb, use Ice Beam!"

With a roar, Drineb expelled a powerful beam of ice towards Dragonite. At the same time, Litine rushed forwards, a thick layer of ice forming around her hand. Just as they were approaching Dragonite, there was a sudden flash of light and a huge burst of flames struck the ground in front of them.

They both jumped back in alarm as Charizard flew at them, brandishing his ferocious claws. He swiped viciously at Drineb, regal flames cloaking his claws, and sent him flying back. Meanwhile, Litine hurled herself backwards at the last minute to avoid a huge lightning bolt thrown by Dragonite.

"So powerful!" Alicia gasped as Litine and Drineb pulled themselves back up. "What are we going to do?"

"We'll keep Charizard busy," Livvi whispered. "Go for Dragonite with Body Slam once we're holding them down."

"What about Ice Beam?" Alicia asked.

"Just trust me," Livvi replied. With a reassuring smile, she turned back to Litine. "Use Hydro Pump!"

"Flamethrower!" Clair called.

Litine fired a deluge of water towards Charizard, who responded with a powerful blast of flames. The two attacks met in the middle of the arena, creating a cloud of steam.

"Body Slam!" Alicia called.

Drineb immediately surged forwards, the arena shaking slightly with each step. Dragonite responded with a turquoise blast, but it didn't slow the snorlax down. There was a crash as Drineb smashed into her.

"Ice Punch!" Livvi shouted.

Alicia glanced over. While she'd been focusing on Drineb's attack, Litine had managed to push back Charizard's attack. Now, she suddenly stopped firing and dropped low into the steam. Charging forwards, she suddenly appeared below Dragonite and leapt up. She landed her punch on the larger pokémon's side, a small sheet of ice spreading from the impact.

"Go, Alicia!" Livvi called.

"R-right!" Alicia nodded. "Drineb, Ice Beam!"

Dragonite wrenched herself back from her opponents and ducked down just in time to avoid the worst of Drineb's attacks. The side of her neck and part of her left wing froze over.

"Again!" Alicia shouted.

Before Drineb could fire again, Charizard was upon him, hitting him with a powerful slash. As the snorlax stumbled backwards, Charizard followed up with a powerful burst of flames.

"Hyper Beam!" Clair called.

Dragonite fired a powerful blast down at Litine, who was blasted back by the impact. She hit the ground hard just in front of Drineb and stumbled back to her feet again.

Both of them were covered with small burns and various other injuries. All the running and fighting was wearing them down. The only consolation was that they'd finally managed to do some real damage to the enemy.

"I've got an idea!" Alicia beckoned to Livvi. "This time, Drineb and I will tie down Charizard. Have Litine attack Dragonite again."

"Alright." Livvi nodded.

"Body Slam!" Alicia called.

Drineb roared and charged forwards, flinching slightly with each step. Charizard scorched him with another burst of flames, but he plunged on and smashed into the fire type.

"Ice Punch!" Livvi shouted. Dragonite still needed to rest after that last attack - this was their chance to finish it!

"Get her to hold her fist in the air!" Alicia shouted as Litine began charging forwards.

"S-sure!" Livvi nodded. "You heard her, Litine!"

"Ice Beam!" Alicia shouted.

As Litine raised her ice-covered fist into the air, Drineb turned and blasted it with his own ice. The coating on Litine's fist grew harder and colder. An instant later, she slammed into Dragonite directly.

There was a cry of pain and the sound of shattering ice. Dragonite tumbled backwards and fell to the ground with a crash.

"Dragonite is unable to battle!" the referee announced.

"Dragon Claw!" Clair shouted as she reached for Dragonite's poké ball.

With a roar, Charizard slashed viciously at Drineb, who shouted in pain.

"Flamethrower!"

"Rain Dance!"

As Charizard prepared to fire, Litine started jumping about. A dark cloud formed over the arena and fat raindrops started falling around them. The jet of flame that hit Drineb wasn't as hot or powerful as it could have been.

"Hydro Pump!" Livvi called.

The rain was pouring now. Weary, Litine opened her mouth and fired.

Charizard tried to counter it with his own flames, but it was too weak. The blast of water tore straight through and slammed into him, sending him crashing to the ground.

"Finish this up with Double-Edge!"

"And use Body Slam!"

Litine sprang forwards, gathering all her remaining energy as Charizard struggled to pull himself back up again. She smashed into him with all her strength, the momentum sending her flipping over him and crashing to the ground. Then Drineb hurled himself down and crushed Charizard beneath him. The mighty dragon let out a final roar and then slumped to the ground.

"Charizard is unable to battle!" the referee announced. "All four of the gym leader's pokémon are unable to battle, so this match goes to the challengers, Alicia Law from Cherrygrove City and Olivia Weston from Viridian City!"

"We did it!" Livvi gasped, turning to Alicia who was staring at her with an ecstatic look on her face. Somehow, despite all the difficulties, they'd managed to emerge victorious.

"Hmph." Clair recalled Charizard to his poké ball. "I hope you're not expecting praise for that performance - you were extremely lucky."

Both Alicia and Livvi's faces fell slightly. This really was a tough gym, even in victory. And another fear had suddenly crossed Livvi's mind - would Clair refuse to give them gym badges for their victory if it wasn't the way she thought she should have been defeated?

Fortunately, the referee was quick to intervene. "A win is still a win, Clair."

"I know!" Clair snapped. She stormed over to Livvi and Alicia and practically threw a pair of black badges shaped like dragon faces at them. "Know this - you may have beaten me, but that doesn't mean you're ready for Johto League!"

* * *

 _2:47pm, 16th June 2006_

It was only once they'd stepped back out of the gym with their Rising Badges clutched tightly in their hands that the reality of their victory started to sink in for Livvi and Alicia.

"What a battle though," Livvi sighed. "All four of the pokémon worked really hard this time."

"Yeah." Alicia nodded. "We have to get them back to the pokémon centre so they can rest and heal up."

They both smiled at each other, hardly able to contain their excitement. After all the battles they'd fought over the last few months, they finally had all eight badges. They were both eligible for the Johto League. All the pressure they'd felt had fallen away for now - they'd achieved their main aim.

Now they just had to make their way to the league itself and fight their way through it. It was going to be just as tough, if not tougher, than the gym battles they'd fought up to now. Odds were that they'd get all the way to the foot of Mt. Silver, only to fall on the final climb towards ultimate victory.

"I guess we should start making plans to get to Silver Town," Livvi said. "It's not that long until the league begins."

"Yeah." Alicia nodded. "How long do you think it'll take to get there?"

"If we're fitting in training breaks, then probably a while," Livvi replied. "Don't worry - I won't let us miss it!"

"Is there enough time for us to have the rest of the day off?" Alicia asked.

Livvi nodded. "The pokémon need to recover before we can leave again."

As they continued walking back through the quaint, old-fashioned, wooden buildings of Blackthorn City, they suddenly didn't feel as intimidating as they had when they'd been on their way to the gym. The sun was shining and there was a gentle breeze in the air.

It was a beautiful day. They might as well enjoy it before they moved on towards Silver Town.

* * *

 **So, Livvi and Alicia both finally have all eight badges they need to compete in the Johto League, and not a moment too soon!**

 **This battle was a slightly challenging one to write since I wanted it to be somewhat grandiose and have an epic feel to it. Hopefully I succeeded in making it an entertaining read. I also wanted to make the Blackthorn gym really seem like the kind of place that most trainers would avoid, which I hope shows through the writing in this chapter.**

 **Unfortunately, the way I've structured the upload schedule means that this will be the last chapter of** _ **Pokémon Journey: Livvi's Johto Scrapbook**_ **for quite some time. I want to cover the Johto League in tandem with the Hoenn League in** _ **Pokémon Journey: Hoenn**_ **, so Chapter 27 will come shortly after the first chapter of the Hoenn League goes up. I imagine this will be sometime over the summer (probably August) as long as I don't fall too far behind with** _**Hoenn**_ **uploads!**

 **As ever, I appreciate any feedback you have on this chapter and don't forget to leave a like on the Facebook page and follow me on Twitter.**

 **Until next time!**

* * *

 **Livvi Weston:**

 **Active:**

 **Barru** (Ivysaur): male, timid, highly persistent, likes sweet food, grass-poison type, Overgrow ability, knows Double-Edge, Sludge Bomb, Solar Beam and Leech Seed.

 **Tavro** (Hypno): male, quirky, loves to eat, eats anything, psychic type, Forewarn ability, knows Psychic, Hypnosis, Future Sight and Headbutt.

 **Litine** (Azumarill): female, mild, good endurance, likes dry food, water type, Thick Fat ability, knows Double-Edge, Rain Dance, Hydro Pump and Ice Punch.

 **Dacino** (Cyndaquil): male, adamant, loves to eat, likes spicy food, fire type, Blaze ability, knows Flamethrower, Swift, Flame Wheel and Smokescreen.

 **Seniry** (Magnemite): genderless, adamant, a little quick tempered, likes spicy food, steel-electric type, Magnet Pull ability, knows Metal Sound, Spark, Sonic Boom and Supersonic.

 **Nuban** (Swinub): female, calm, likes to fight, likes bitter food, ice-ground type, Oblivious ability, knows Blizzard, Mist, Take Down and Earthquake.

 **In Viridian City:**

 **Dorru** (Nidorina): female, quiet, mischievous, likes dry food, poison type, Rivalry ability, knows Fury Swipes, Double Kick, Poison Sting and Crunch.

 **Salea** (Blissey): female, gentle, somewhat vain, likes bitter food, normal type, Natural Cure ability, knows Softboiled, Psychic, Double-Edge and Egg Bomb.

 **Cylune** (Venomoth): male, modest, proud of its power, likes dry food, poison-bug type, Shield Dust ability, knows Stun Spore, Psychic, Toxic and Silver Wind.

 **Evoro** (Jolteon): male, jolly, alert to sounds, likes sweet food, electric type, Volt Absorb ability, knows Thunderbolt, Double Team, Double Kick and Quick Attack.

 **Ferru** (Teddiursa): male, hardy, loves to eat, eats anything, normal type, Pickup ability, knows Feint Attack, Slash, Thrash and Fake Tears.

 **Alicia Law:**

 **Active:**

 **Ruo** (Meganium): male, naughty, often dozes off, likes spicy food, grass type, Overgrow ability, knows Body Slam, Synthesis, Solar Beam and Safeguard.

 **Pari** (Dunsparce): male, quirky, likes to thrash about, eats anything, normal type, Serene Grace ability, knows Rollout, Screech, Double-Edge and Dig.

 **Saffa** (Gyarados): female, rash, often lost in thought, likes dry food, water type, Intimidate ability, knows Ice Beam, Hydro Pump, Dragon Dance and Hyper Beam.

 **Balva** (Magcargo): male, hasty, a little quick tempered, likes sweet food, fire type, Flame Body ability, knows Protect, Rock Slide, Flamethrower and Body Slam.

 **Drineb** (Snorlax): male, adamant, scatters things often, likes spicy food, normal type, Thick Fat ability, knows Rest, Body Slam, Brick Break and Rollout.


End file.
